Catching Starlight
by shockandlock
Summary: Life is hard when you're the Crown Prince, and Marco's got a lot more on his shoulder than just that. His coronation is just around the corner and he's pretty sure he's not prepared to take the throne. Maybe training the new mage to their ranks will help take his mind off of things, but is Ace hiding something? My project for OPBigBang 2016!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, this is the piece I wrote for OPBigBang 2016! I've been nursing this idea for a while now, and it turned out way longer than I expected. I worked hard on this despite my busy school year, so I hope it turned out all right! Enjoy, please!** **Thank you to the incredible InvitingNonsenseWorld for letting me rant to her about this constantly, to the amazing lunarshores (also for the ranting) but mostly for the beta reading, and my wonderful artist partner meridiay!**

 **Full Summary:** **Life is hard when you're the Crown Prince, and Marco's got a lot more on his shoulder than just that. His father doesn't exactly have the cleanest bill of health, the royal council is much too overbearing, and Marco is pretty sure that he's unprepared to take the throne, even with the support of the neighboring kingdom's princess. Yet maybe training the new mage to their ranks will help take things off of his mind, though little does he know, Ace is hiding something...**

 **Ace is an assassin- not that he chose to be in this situation. Still, this is the perfect opportunity for him to refine his newly acquired magic. His new teacher, and target, is pretty cool. But even if he didn't want to kill Marco, blackmail ensures that he has no choice, and protecting his brothers has always been the most important thing in his life.. Now, he has up until Marco's coronation to decide.**

 **Will they be able to choose between what they know is right and what they want in their hearts?**

* * *

 **Marco**

Waking up while riding in the carriage was strange for Marco. He usually never fell asleep during his trips out of the kingdom since he had to have his guard up constantly when in foreign lands. A prince, and the crown prince at that, never knew when he was going to be ambushed.

Yet somehow, Marco had found himself waking up from an unplanned slumber. His instincts must've tuned themselves down once they had crossed into the soil of the capital because he would have never relaxed otherwise. Maybe it was the comforting presences of his siblings that he could sense from even miles away.

After briefly rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Marco reached for the curtain of the carriage door. Pulling it back a bit, he saw that the carriage was indeed rolling through the bustling streets of the capital, the castle towering ahead of them. He smiled to himself, leaning back in his seat. Although he did not mind leaving the kingdom, it was good to be home.

It would've been nicer if he had been allowed to take the journey alone on his horse, the open sky stretching above him though. Sadly, neither he nor Pops had control of that situation. The royal council was always concerned with such matters of security despite Marco's position. All he could do was wait until the carriage stopped, indicating their arrival.

When it did, Marco was ready to step forward and open the door himself, ready to leave and see his brothers and sisters, but the coachman beat him to the handle, the door swinging open before Marco could even touch it.

"His Royal Highness Marco has arrived!" the man announced all too eagerly, Marco resisting the urge to twist his expression into one of displeasure. He hated the title, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He had tried before after all when the usual lineup used their usual boring greeting of, "Welcome back, your highness," to which he would reply, "Please. Just call me Marco."

Marco was expecting it this time too since the coachman had bothered to announce their arrival, but he was surprised when there was almost no one there to greet him. Not disappointed though since it was a sigh of relief to not have so many people welcoming him back. He still found the situation strange though. With a family of so many people (along with such a large staff), it would only be natural that someone be milling about the entrance.

Where was everyone?

His question was answered when the main door slowly opened, Haruta pushing against it with all her might. She ran up to Marco, panting and out of breath when she reached him. "Marco! You're finally back!"

The usual cheeriness was absent from her tone, causing Marco to stare in concern. Something obviously wasn't right, and this just furthered his suspicion.

"What's wrong, yoi?" he asked.

Haruta took deep breaths, leaning on Marco for support. "Y-you need… to come right… away. I-in… the magic yard."

This struck him with worry. He was the head commander of the magic squad. What had happened in his absence this time? Especially if it was enough to disrupt the usual routine of the castle?

Seizing Haruta by the hand, he ran off towards the training grounds, much to her protest. The coachman yelled after them, "Your highness, wait! Don't you want to greet your father? And put on your armor before you go to the training grounds!"

The calls went ignored. If it was really an emergency, then all the formalities could wait.

It seems that a lot of the staff had gathered here, which answered Marco's earlier question.

"What's all the fuss?" he inquired.

A few servants turned towards him. "Your Highness! You're back!" one of them exclaimed, quickly gesturing for the others to clear the way, and Marco stepped forward cautiously, and when he saw what they were all staring at, he understood why they hadn't realized he had returned.

The magic training yard was completely scorched, a few flames still burning along the ground here and there. All the targets had been completely decimated, though thankfully much of the other pieces of equipment remained. Still, he had never seen the place in such a state of disarray. One could assume that the training yard's state could be blamed on an enemy attack, but Marco noticed that no one was particularly hostile. Rather, they seemed more silently shocked than anything.

And he was right. This was no enemy attack. In the middle of the wreckage stood one man. Not an army or a group of assassins who had revealed themselves with a powerful magic attack intended to destroy their own magic forces. Just one man, who seemed to have a sheepish grin upon his freckled face

"Oops," he laughed, running a hand through his dark hair. "Sorry about that!"

Now, jaw almost dropping to the floor, Marco understood why everyone was so exasperated.

"I see that you came just in time to see _this_ disaster," he heard Jozu say as he approached.

"Thank god too. We haven't figured out how to deal with him yet. Training hasn't gone over so well, as you can see."

"So he _is_ a new recruit then," Marco confirmed. "How long has he been here?"

"About a week. Got here about half-a-week after you left."

Gods, they had been dealing with this for one week? Why hadn't they thought of contacting him? Surely a message could've reached him, be it through communication snails or by a physical messenger. He could only imagine what else had been destroyed.

"And his name?"

Another crash sounded before Jozu could answer, indicating that the guy had attempted to adjust some of the wrecked targets. _Attempted._

"Hehe, whoops."

"Marco," Jozu sighed, ready to formally introduce the man. "Meet our newest recruit. Portgas D. Ace."

So his name was Ace? What a unique name, Marco mused, though it was too early to say if I was fitting or not. But now, it was time for business. Even though he wasn't in his proper uniform, he stood straight and with dignity.

"Portgas D. Ace!"

His loud bark easily startled Ace, capturing his attention. His gaze snapped towards him, eyes wide. As if responding to his emotions, sudden fire flared up along his shoulders.

Yes, Marco had seen the scorch marks, but there were several different kinds of magic that could've caused that damage, especially if the user had little to no control over it. It hadn't occurred to him that Ace's power was pure fire.

He was very interested now, and that wasn't just because of his phoenix instincts.

"You-!"

Marco cut him off, keeping his serious demeanor. "I would like to speak with you. _Now._ "

* * *

Despite the fact that Marco said "now" and meant it, it took a bit of time before he was actually able to meet Ace directly. After all, they still had to get people onto the task of cleaning up the training yard (bless their poor souls whoever they were), and while he would've had Ace do it, they had more important things to discuss.

It was also insisted that Marco don his official armor, which took up more time in his opinion. Even if it gave him the intimidating aura he needed in that moment, it was stiff and stuffy, and he preferred mobility to having to wear it all the time. On the bright side, it _did_ provide protection.

Finally, after all of that, he was meeting Ace for real this time, and his first impression was that he had a complete disregard for his authority, shown by the feet that were currently propped up on Marco's desk.

"Feet down," Marco firmly commanded, and Ace grinned and complied.

"So you're the commander," he commented, glancing at Marco up and down before he could reprimand him for the training yard incident. His eyes eventually settled on the top of Marco's head. "I didn't expect that you'd look like a pineapple."

Now _that_ comment hit a nerve. Thankfully, he had gotten used to the teasing nickname, yet he wasn't able to stop the scowl that graced his lips.

"Just kidding!" Ace suddenly laughed out. There was a certain kind of twinkle in his eyes, and Marco rather liked his smile over his smug grin. "It was just so tense in here. Too far?"

Marco shook his head, scowl quickly exchanged for a small smile as well. "It's not like I haven't heard it before. It's fine, but we have more important matters to discuss."

"Oh right. I'm sorry about the training yard. Really am," Ace apologized, sheepish look from before returning.

"It's not like it hasn't happened before, yoi, and I'm sure it will happen in the future during your training. You'll be cleaning it up then though," Marco said.

Ace opened his mouth to protest, but Marco cut him off.

"It's only fair considering the damage you did."

"Fine," Ace muttered.

"Good. Hopefully, we'll be able to keep the damage to a minimum now, even if such destruction is expected from such a destructive power."

"Why is that?" Ace asked, clear confusion in his expression.

"I think it's rather obvious," Marco continued. "You'll be training with me."

Ace eyes widened at the seemingly unbelievable fact. Marco couldn't blame his surprise. He _was_ a very busy person after all. "Really? Wouldn't the _Crown Prince_ of all people be above such things?"

Is this what people really thought of him? That Marco was a shallow prince incapable of doing other things on his own? Maybe Ace was the shallow one here. Whatever the case, Marco would at least try to prove him wrong.

"I am the leader of the Magic Guard for a reason, yoi," Marco declared, letting his blue flames dance over his fingers effortlessly. He couldn't resist a pleased smirk when he saw Ace's awestruck expression, mouth slightly agape.

"F-fire…"

"Sitting around is not quite for me." His flames vanished.

"Y-yeah," Ace agreed, nodding his head.

"I'm looking forward to working with you, Ace," Marco said, holding out his hand.

Finally, Ace snapped out of his daze, grinning a wonderfully wide grin. "Same here, Marco! Let's work together with our fire!"

"Yes, let's."

The thought hadn't occurred to Marco at the time, but Ace had never called Marco "Your Majesty" through their entire conversation.

* * *

Marco had been exhausted by the time the whole incident had ended- well, at least for the day. He and Ace hadn't done any training after their private discussion, but they had headed back to the magic training yard to help the remaining cleanup efforts, Ace smiling his sheepish smile the entire time.

At first, Ace seemed rather surprised that Marco would help clean up with them, but when he saw the servants protest this offered help, he almost laughed. The servants allowed him to continue, but their hesitant glances towards him did not go unnoticed. He ignored them, and instead chose to try and make some friendly conversation with Ace.

"So, Ace," Marco started, gripping a particularly heavy-looking piece of rubble. It was an easy lift for him however. "How has your stay been here so far, yoi?" he asked with a smile.

Ace beamed back at him and hoisted another piece of rubble up. "Are you always like this? Courteous and friendly?"

"Part of the job description and all as 'Crown Prince', I guess," Marco joked, but Ace gave him a strange look.

"Oh. So that's it."

"No, no," Marco insisted, trying not to wince at the blunt disappointment in Ace's tone. "We'll be working together from now on, so I want to get to know you. Though manners have been hammered into my head." He paused, adjusting his burden so that he may bow. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to be rude."

"Y-you don't have to bow!" Ace stammered, so Marco stood straight up once more to be met with a wildly blushing Ace. "It's fine. You're forgiven."

Marco smiled once more, nodding towards him. "So I'll ask again, yoi. How are you?"

Ace's own smile returned, but he merely shrugged. "Things have been fine, I guess. I just hope no one hates me for blowing things up constantly and all," he said. "Today was especially bad, so I guess it's good that you got here before it could get worse."

"It is," Marco agreed. "I'll be able to help contain any explosions if any happen in the future, and I wouldn't worry about anyone hating you. We all had accidents like that when first acquiring our magic," he reassured, patting Ace's shoulder once they had both set their pieces of rubble off to the side. "However, since your power is fire, it's especially destructive. You're young too, so that may be a factor."

"Hey!" Ace protested. "I'm twenty! I'm not _that_ young!"

"Hm… Maybe it's that fiery temper of yours, yoi."

"Really?" Ace grinned, stifling a laugh. "I didn't think that you were the kind for puns."

"Well, I have to have fun some way, but I admit that Thatch is more the type. Have you met him yet?"

Before Ace could answer, a servant walked up to them wringing their hands nervously. "Your highness, I know you wish to help out and all, but please, let us do our job." he glanced quickly up at the castle, and that's all it took for Marco to understand, especially in context to which servant he was speaking to.

"I see. I'm sorry, yoi" he apologized, but a frown still graced his expression. "Thank you, Coby. Ace, let's get you to the barracks."

When Marco turned towards Ace, he immediately noticed how Ace's eyebrows were furrowed in confusion. "Don't worry. I'll explain on the way."

Unfortunately, this created a silence between them as they headed towards the barracks, as Marco decided not to explain until they were a significant distance away. "I apologize for that, yoi. It's a shame since we were having quite a nice conversation."

"What was that all about?" Ace questioned. "You think that they'd appreciate the help."

"Oh, they do," Marco confirmed with a nod. "It's just…" He trailed off, reluctant to actually say. He knew he had told Ace that he would explain, but now he felt that it would be stupid to trouble him with such things when he would need to soon focus on training.

"It's just what?"

Marco sighed. "Never mind. It's not important right now, yoi." Ace would find out soon enough, he thought. If he didn't know about the royal council then… well, maybe that's why he was acting so carefree around Marco. Marco was sure he would eventually meet them when they found out Marco was training Ace personally, and he was certain that they would not be pleased, especially the head of the royal council.

Certainly the man would try to "put Ace in his place", and while Marco wanted to keep anything too severe from happening, he saw it fit to enjoy any time where he wouldn't be treated like perfect royalty by Ace.

"Are you sure?" Ace frowned in concern. "I'll trust you for now, but if you're going to be training me, you shouldn't be distracted, right?" Though Ace's words may have sounded selfish, Marco could see a sort of kind sincerity in his eyes that was much appreciated at the current moment.

"Of course," he chuckled amused by Ace's enthusiasm. "Now, what division have they put you with?" he asked as they finally arrived at the barracks.

"Second," Ace answered immediately. "Jozu told me that it's only a temporary arrangement though."

So he was currently with the second division? It may have seemed like a strange choice considering that they hadn't had anyone in a commander position for that particular division in quite a while, but Marco couldn't say that he disagreed with it. Maybe it was good that no one commander had jurisdiction over someone with such lack of control.

"I see then. I hope you're getting along well with them then."

"Yep!" Ace chirped. "Some of the guys have been pretty helpful. Teach especially."

"That's great then. Go talk with them some more. Make sure to get plenty of rest later though. You'll definitely be needing it," Marco recommended. "We'll be getting up early tomorrow, yoi."

It was hard not to notice how Ace bounced in excitement. "Okay, Marco! But are you sure we can't do just a bit of training today? I mean, I know the training yard is still wrecked, but there's plenty of free space, right?"

Marco shook his head, but he couldn't resist a small smile. Ace was enthusiastic, and he appreciated that. Marco couldn't blame him. His powers were new after all, and it was only natural to want to experiment with them. He was eager to see how Ace would fare _after_ their training started however. "As you know, I only just arrived back a few hours earlier, and I still have many things to take care of before the day is out."

"Alright. I understand," Ace acknowledged. "Princely duties and all that."

"Your Highness! You are needed immediately in the council room!"

Marco groaned when he heard the call of his formal title. He should've known that they would send a servant to come get him. "I should get going now."

"Good luck with all that stuff you have to take care of." Ace opened the door to enter the barracks, but briefly turned around to wave. "It was nice meeting you! See you tomorrow!"

And with the slam of a heavy door, Marco was left alone with the servant outside. "Are you ready to go, Your Highness?"

Ignoring the title once again, Marco grumbled, "Of course, yoi." It was sure to be a long night.

* * *

 **Ace**

To say that Ace was excited would be an understatement.

He had lived most of his twenty years of life without magic, and honestly, he never thought he would have magic. He never really cared either, especially since the first magic user he met was his bumbling, but lovable oaf of a brother.

Ace grinned, carefully sparking fire on the tips of his fingers. He had sure gotten lucky with having _fire power_ of all things. Though Marco was right: the power was destructive, and while he _did_ like being destructive, he also knew that things would go sour if he let his powers go out of control.

It was a shame he had to wait until tomorrow. Well, he might as do what he said and talk to the others.

"Hey, man!"

Unless they talked to him first. He turned to see Thatch and Izo, who had taken it upon themselves to welcome Ace into the family immediately when he had arrived.

Thatch clapped a hand down on his shoulder. "So what did you think?"

Unsure of how to respond to his vague question, Ace hesitantly drew out, "You mean about Marco?"

"Of course! What did you think I meant?"

"Erm, well-"

"Honestly, Thatch," Izo sighed as he approached. "You cannot be so vague about such things. I must apologize for him, Ace dear."

Thatch frowned. "Oi!"

"Ah, no," Ace said, lightly smiling at the two's antics. "It's fine, Izo, but what are you doing here?"

"What?" Izo huffed. "I can't come down here and check on my brothers?" He paused, lips slightly down-turning and his nose scrunching up. "Although, it _is_ as smelly as ever in here. Unfortunately, my pleas to clean more often go ignored."

Ace shrugged. "Can't argue with that." Izo was right about the barracks being dirty, though Ace had lived in worse. What could he say? It's not as if cleanliness had been the first thing on his and his brothers' minds.

"But anyways," Thatch interjected, reinserting himself into the conversation, "You're not injured, right?"

"Not at all," Ace reassured. "Shouldn't you be more concerned about the others though?"

"The ones most at risk of magic accidents are the users themselves, Ace," Izo informed.

"Something we haven't forgotten over the years. You're not the first one to have such accidents."

"Ah, of course." Ace nodded in understanding, thinking back to Luffy. He had injured himself too many times to count while trying to train up his magic on his own. Ace was rather glad that he had professionals to help him, even if Luffy eventually turned out okay, though that fact was debatable.

His thoughts were pulled away from him by the alluring smell of a meal that was suddenly shoved in front of him. "Now eat," Thatch said. "You must be hungry."

It took Ace a second to process that the meal in front of him wasn't just a single plate. When did Thatch lay all this out in front of him?

"You're drooling," Izo commented, rolling his eyes.

"When did you have time to cook all this?" Ace asked, turning towards Thatch.

Thatch grinned. "Well, I'm well aware of your appetite by now, so I thought I would get an early start, especially with that big explosion. You must've expended a lot of energy, so I made more than usual. Though that's not saying much considering it's you."

"Thanks, Thatch!" Ace exclaimed, swiping the fork off of the table gobbling up the plate in front of him immediately. Though he was a quick eater, he would always appreciate the wonderful taste. Thatch definitely had skills in the kitchen. A prince that was also in charge of the kitchens. Who knew?

It was then he felt like slapping himself. He _really_ shouldn't have been so quick to judge Marco. Even though he had met the other princes/princesses (Izo and Haruta didn't mind either title) prior to Marco's return, his first instinct had been to assume Marco was a spoiled prince, and while he didn't know too much about him yet, he was more than willing to learn.

That's what he was here for after all.

"Ace!" Haruta yelled, waving her cards in the air. "Join our game when you finish, okay!"

He was able to reply with an, "Okay, sure!" before continuing with his meal. Ace finished with a satisfied burp, though this earned a look from Izo., who rolled his eyes as Ace walked over to join the game.

Haruta patted him on the back as he took his seat. "Deal him in, Jozu!"

Jozu grunted in acknowledgement, sliding Ace five cards. After tossing some coins into the pile in the center, Ace quickly glanced at his cards and tried not to grin. A good hand as usual, but he couldn't give it away now with a silly expression.

"So, Ace," Teach started, sliding into the seat next to Ace and patting him on the back. "I think we all heard that explosion earlier, even if we weren't there. Zehaha!"

Shouts of agreement, and even some laughter, rang out, Ace rubbing the back of his head sheepishly in response. He remembered that a lot of the castle servants had gathered, but it was no surprise that others had been preoccupied with their own business. It was still embarrassing to know that the entire castle probably heard him.

"It's been a long time since we've had an accident like that!" Haruta piped, exhilaration shining in her eyes.

"Don't get any ideas," Jozu grumbled, elbowing her lightly. She stared at the pot for a second, groaning and then folding her hand.

"What? Out already?" Ace teased. "I just got here! Guess you're scared."

Haruta stuck her tongue out at him in retaliation and reached out to flick at Ace's forehead, which was promptly dodged. "Am I not allowed to have some fun?" she whined, turning back to Jozu.

"He's probably still grumpy from earlier!" Vista laughed, stopping to smirk and lay down his hand: a flush. Ace heard Rakuyo curse as he threw down his own cards. "After all, he had a front row seat to that catastrophe!"

"Must've been rough, man!" Thatch exclaimed, laying out his own cards with flair. Full house. "Your move," he said, grinning at Ace.

Without hesitation, Ace smirked, displaying his cards for all to see, and the cheer hit immediately.

"Realy?!"

"Four of a kind," he said smugly.

"I was wondering where all those aces went," Jozu muttered.

"Well, it's my name after all!"

Ace couldn't resist the stupid grin that broke out across his face when everyone around him groaned.

It was nice having a place here with the soldiers, but it was a shame that they would be parting on bad terms. Such things were inevitable when you were the one sent to assassinate their crown prince.

* * *

 **Marco**

Marco sighed, rubbing at his temples as he exited the royal council room. He swore that meeting with them was always a headache, and such meetings were never events he looked forward to. Even though he knew they were inevitable, he would never change his attitude towards them.

Things had been going so well up until the royal council meeting (besides the explosion of course), where he was bombarded with questions and demands. Part of him just wanted to go to his room and collapse, but there was something he had to do that he actually had been looking forward to.

His feet had guided him to his destination automatically, and lost in his thoughts, he found himself in front of his father's room in almost no time at all. The door looked almost too large to be a bedroom door with its grand ornate carvings, tapestries hanging on either side. He remembered a time when approaching this door intimidated him, much like the man behind it, but now, he had no problem laying his hand upon it and pushing it open as it groaned.

The first thing he heard when he entered was an angry huff, and the head nurse appeared in front of him, arms crossed. "Master Marco! How many times have I told you to knock when entering? Think of your father's health!"

"Hello to you too, Agatha," Marco greeted dryly.

Agatha was a strict, portly woman. Ancient and wrinkly too. She had been the head nurse for another kingdom before theirs, and Marco (along with several of his other siblings) suspected that she served under a king that ruled before Whitebeard, and maybe even a king before that. Her shrill commands were rather grating on the ears, and Marco much preferred the smooth and calm tones of her apprentice Crystal, who was preparing to succeed her position after she died- though Marco was starting to think she was too stubborn to do such a thing.

Yet she was family, and things wouldn't be the same without her fussing over every little thing. And _she was_ head nurse for a reason. Her medical expertise and experience was well appreciated, especially in times like these.

"It's quite alright, Agatha," Whitebeard said. "Welcome back, son." He shifted himself into a sitting position, and it appeared as if he moved to stand too, but Marco, as well as Agatha, rushed to his side, easing him back down into a more comfortable position.

"You don't have to go anywhere, Pops," Marco whispered. "I'm right here, yoi."

"Gurarara." Whitebeard's laugh came out slower and quieter than normal, but as usual, it washed over Marco warmly, making him forget his earlier troubles.

"I'll leave you two be," Agatha said, though there was a caring wisdom twinkling in her eyes.

"I'll stay close by though, so come and get me right away if anything happens." With that, she left through the door Marco had entered only moments before.

Whitebeard shifted ever so slightly to get a better look at his son. "So, Marco. How was your trip?"

"It was- ah- interesting as usual, Pops," Marco answered. "As trips there always are. You know how the princess's friends are. Well, from what I've told you anyways, yoi. Honestly, I certainly wasn't expecting them when I arrived."

"Well, they sound like a lively bunch!" Whitebeard chortled. "Would fit right in here!"

Marco smiled. "I can practically see the chaos," he joked, elbowing him lightly.

Once Whitebeard's miniature laughing fit had subsided (with the help of a glass of water at his bedside), he continued.

"And the princess herself? How is she?"

"Well," Marco started, "she's as calm and collected as ever, especially considering the circumstances."

"You'll just have to get used to it, son."

"Already am, Pops."

They exchanged words for quite a while, just letting the time pass by. Marco always loved their talks. They had increased in number recently, despite Marco's busy schedule. He found it necessary tell Whitebeard how things were going on in his life now that he was constantly bedridden.

"And the new recruit, Ace is certainly a unique individual, yoi."

"So I've heard." Whitebeard leaned closer to him, smiling. "Thatch has told me much about him, though I haven't had the chance to meet him myself."

"Yes, it would be rather difficult," Marco admitted. "Maybe I'll bring him up here to meet you if we have any free time."

"Oh?"

"I'll be supervising his training from now on, Pops," he informed. "His magic is powerful, that much I can tell. He'll be a great addition to our family."

"Of course! The others are already getting along great with him, I hear," he said. "Though the council will not be happy."

"I'm well aware," Marco sighed, squashing down a grimace.

But instead of hearing the disappointment he had been expecting, Whitebeard boomed out a laugh once more. "That's my boy!"

Of course! It always easy for Marco to forget the little things when he was worried. He was glad that Pops hated those stiffs on the council as much as he did. And so he also began to laugh, for Whitebeard's own laugh had always been contagious. The joyful noise only grew louder, and soon, they found that they could not stop.

If only such a moment could last.

Marco should've known that something like this would backfire. For a moment, Marco stared in horror as Whitebeard's laughter was replaced by an uncontrollable cough. He apologized over and over before he bolted out of the room yelling out for Agatha.

"I'm sorry, Pops," he apologized again once Agatha had returned. He refused to look Whitebeard in the eye out of guilt, instead, eyeing the bowl of herbs Agatha was mixing.

"It's not your fault, Marco," Whitebeard reassured, though his words came out raspy and broken.

Still, Marco could not squash the negative feelings down, and they swum in the pit of his stomach, making him nauseous. He knew his father was old, and his health had been getting worse recently, but that didn't make him dread the future any less.

He wasn't ready to be king.

"Go and rest, Marco," Whitebeard requested. "A little cough like that isn't enough to kill me."

"Yeah, little," Marco scoffed inaudibly, but he bid his father and a still fussy Agatha nonetheless.

Upon reaching his quarters, he dismissed his servants immediately despite their protests to help him get changed for bed. He was exhausted, and he didn't feel like talking to anyone else. He only had the energy to think, but even that was too much.

The council, Pops's health, his future… It was all so heavy.

Well, at least he had one thing to look forward to. He tried to fill his mind of what it would be like during his training session with Ace tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ace**

Ace woke up to being shoved out of his bunk unceremoniously. He groaned, struggling to open his eyes, but when he saw who had shoved him onto the floor, he yelped.

Marco merely stared at him in amusement as he struggled to find some suitable clothes. "Time to get up."

Ace scowled when he heard the slight hint of laughter in his tone. Suddenly remembering why Marco was there in the first place, he scrambled over to the window. The sun hadn't even risen yet! Since he hadn't woken up late like he originally assumed, he gaped at Marco instead of apologizing.

"Well, I _did_ tell you that we would get up early, didn't I?" Marco asked, actually chuckling this time. "I'll leave you to get dressed. Meet me down in the training yard." He left the room, leaving Ace to glare at his bunkmates, who remained fast asleep, unaware of Ace's abrupt awakening.

Who would've thought that Marco would come down here himself to wake him up? Still, from what Ace knew of him so far, it seemed fitting.

It reminded him of what Marco was actually here for. Renewed with vigor from his thoughts of the day ahead, he tossed on his garments and burst out the door, his bunkmates groaning at the noise.

"Sorry, guys!" he yelled, but his mind was too preoccupied to shut the door behind him.

* * *

Ace still had the sneaking suspicion that it was still yesterday, and that Marco brought him down here just to mess with him. His thoughts drifted back to last night, and he was starting to regret staying up for drinks and card games with the other soldiers.

Training with a headache was going to suck.

He tried to break into a light jog as he entered the training yard, but even the slightest bounce, sent another pulse of pain through his skull.

Ace was so preoccupied with his hangover that he noticed something flying at him much too late. He yelped when the knife flew through his head. Thankfully his powers protected him and turned him to flames upon contact. The light briefly flickered to show Marco, whose hand was still outstretched, following the path of the knife.

For a second, Ace panicked, thinking that Marco somehow found out why he was truly here. But that was impossible, right?

"What gives?" he growled, glaring at Marco.

"Always stay on your toes, yoi," Marco advised, and Ace was sure that he could hear the amusement in his tone. "Notice anything different though?"

"Different?" Well, besides the yard being practically pitch black…

Ace's headache was gone. He shook his head a bit to confirm, it, and sure enough; his brain was no longer pounding against his skull. He grinned in realization. "Sweet!"

"Handy, right?" Marco commented. "You can use your fire to immediately burn out that hangover. Remember that training involves more than just fighting. Think of how to utilize your powers in different situations." He paused, then adding, "Though I considered just leaving you with it."

"Oh thanks," Ace shot playfully, nudging Marco with his elbow.

Marco smiled at Ace's attitude. It was a wonderful sight, even in the darkness of the yard.

"Why aren't the torches lit yet?" Ace wondered. "How are we supposed to train like this?" He turned to Marco, but was only met by a stare. "What?"

"You have fire, don't you? Light them yourself."

He shrugged. It was a fair request, and it gave reason to why Marco woke him up so early. A small flick of the thumb would do the trick, but before he could take a step towards the columns where the torches were lined up, Marco firmly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You have to stay right here though."

Ace's jaw dropped. He couldn't control his fire enough to simply hit a single target! How was he supposed to light the torches from here?

He was about to protest, but he could practically feel Marco's analytical stare boring into him, waiting for him to light the torches. Ace swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to squash down his nervousness. How stupid would he look if he just blew everything up again?

"Concentrate," he whispered to himself, stretching his arm out towards one of the torches, which he could barely see. He closed his eyes, let heat gather at his fingertips, and with a single breath, he let his fire fly.

A crash sounded when a fireball that was a bit too powerful hit the column just above the torch and took a chunk out of it, but Ace wasn't worried about that. The fire had still been enough to light the torch! He turned back to Marco, grinning in satisfaction, but he wavered for a moment when he noticed that Marco's expression hadn't changed.

"Keep going, yoi," he said.

And Ace obeyed, following a similar procedure for each torch. Each of the columns were left with either a missing chunk, or a burn mark. Ace huffed out an annoyed breath, determined to light one without causing any damage, so when he reached the last one, he concentrated extra hard, and-

His fire sparked violently and Ace was knocked over by the resulting forceful fireball. He blinked for a moment, dazed, but when he looked at his target, he found that the column- and the torch along with it- had been destroyed completely. Thankfully, the other columns supported the rest of the structure just fine.

"Careful," Marco said. He offered his hand out and pulled Ace off of the ground.

"Sorry," Ace sighed, glaring at the mess. "It's just frustrating that I did fine until the last one."

"You'll get it in time, yoi," Marco encouraged. "Don't worry too much about it now. This is just a simple test, so I can see where you stand with your abilities. You did fine. We can work on it later if you wish."

Ace nodded, though he was still unable to shake his slight irritation.

Next, they did some simple stretches. "Maintaining your body is as important for magic as it is for physical fighting," Marco informed, and Ace stored the helpful words in his mind. Besides, he didn't mind the exercise. He was better with throwing punches than he was with his magic anyways, though that was to be expected.

"Were you doing any physical training before I arrived?"

"Nothing too intense," Ace admitted.

"Well, we're going to change that."

True to Marco's word, Ace was soon on the ground doing push-ups, listening to Marco as he listed off Ace's training schedule.

"We'll start off with the physical exercises then we'll practice your magic when the sun finishes rising."

Ace groaned when he thought about how he would have to wake up at ridiculous times every day to follow this schedule. Oh well. It would pay off in the end to master his powers, right? Well, as long as he picked up the basics of training. He was well aware that it took years to master magic, and he wasn't going to be sticking around long enough to fully train under Marco's supervision.

At least he wasn't too tired though, despite all the exercise. He was already finishing up his final lap around the castle grounds when the sun began peeking over the horizon, golden rays reaching out to greet Marco and Ace on a new day.

"By the way, is there any reason why we have to get up so early?" Ace finally asked.

Marco merely smiled. "You'll see, yoi," he replied mysteriously. "Try not to take in everything at once."

' _I probably would've been easier to wake up if you told me,'_ Ace almost shot back, but he got the feeling that Marco wouldn't tell him anything even if he did.

He would just have to learn, he guessed- not that he minded.

* * *

 **Marco**

Much to Marco's annoyance, and Ace's disappointment if he could tell anything from that fallen expression of his, he was called away by the council _again._ He knew that he would have plenty of time to train Ace, but it was still irritating to be set back by his duties on the _first day_.

"Sorry about this," he apologized.

"It's fine. I understand." Ace nodded at him in understanding. "Good luck."

"I'll need it."

Marco hated the council room. In that room, he always felt like he was going to court. With the raised seats in the room, the council members looked down on him. Sun shined in from high windows, but the light only served as a cruel reminder to Marco. He had no freedom here.

Unsurprisingly, only the head councilmember was waiting for him behind those dreaded doors.

"Sakazuki," Marco addressed curtly. He had no problem acting rudely towards the man since he knew Marco hated him anyways, especially with the light shining from behind him, making look as if he were some sort of god.

"Your Highness," Sakazuki greeted back, though Marco could tell he was using that title as more of a mockery.

"What do you want?" Marco asked. "You and I both know that we have better things to do."

"Then I'll cut right to the chase." Sakazuki folded his hands in front of his face, giving him that pretentious, superior look. Marco feigned rolling his eyes.

"Now that your coronation is approaching-"

"Thank you for informing me."

" _Now that your coronation is approaching,_ " he repeated, growling at Marco sarcastic remark, "you'll have to focus more on what being a king means."

"Is this all you had to tell me, yoi?" Marco shot. "Couldn't you have said this yesterday?"

"Yesterday's meeting was solely dedicated to inquiring about your trip," Sakazuki stated. "This topic was irrelevant to yesterday. It would have been… _inconvenient."_

"Sure."

"There are a multitude of events you need to prepare for, and I expect you to oversee the preparations," he continued. "Many of them before the coronation itself. Namely the ball and, of course, your-"

"Okay! I understand!" Marco exclaimed. "Thank you for your time, but I really must get going."

He rushed out of the room, ignoring Sakazuki's furious bark.

The stressful weight only vanished from his shoulders once he had run far away from the council room. His feet had led him to the kitchens, which was a good thing since he hadn't realized he was hungry until now. Thatch's cooking was always a comfort.

The aroma of a warm meal hit his nostrils once he entered, and he was unable to contain a warm smile, which he greeted the rest of the kitchen staff with.

"Hey, bud," Thatch said. Immediately, he spooned some soup into a bowl and pressed it into Marco's hands. "Rough meeting?"

"You know already?"

He shrugged. "Saw Coby leaving the training grounds earlier. That prick only sends the poor guy there to play messenger boy. He knows it terrifies him."

"Well, someone has to do it," Marco sighed, though he silently sent out a prayer of sympathy for Coby as he took a gulp of the soup. "You're right though."

Thatch patted him on the back. "We all hate Sakazuki. Just give it time."

"I can't wait until he retires, yoi, though I wish I could fire him," Marco grumbled.

"You know how it is," Thatch said. "He was chosen by the people and all."

"Yeah, 'chosen,'" Marco scoffed. "What a load of shit."

"I'm with you there," Thatch agreed.

Neither of them had to say anything further because it couldn't be a coincidence that all the council members were filthy rich, right? Unfortunately, the royal council had been a tradition, implemented within the country since its birth. Marco couldn't just abolish it without causing outrage. The council was the 'voice of the people'.

 _Fortunately,_ Marco would be able to amend the corrupt parts of the system when he was king, though that wouldn't be for a while officially.

Part of him wished that Pops would get better so he wouldn't have to deal with all of this stress, but thinking that way was to have the mind of a coward. It was naïve too.

All of them knew that Pops wasn't going to get better, even with Agatha's help. Reality was a tough pill to swallow, and even Thatch's comfort food couldn't chase those harsh thoughts away.

"You can hide out in here for a while," Thatch offered. "No one will look for you here, and besides we could use the help down here."

"Thanks, Thatch."

It was always reassuring to know that his brothers understood him, and they were there for him without having to be asked. Out of everything, he knew he was going to need their support for days into the future.

Because out of his optimism and dread, Marco didn't know which emotion was the strongest.

* * *

 **Ace**

It was easy to find himself thinking about it when he had free time, like now, when he had nothing else to do but watch the other soldiers train. He and Marco had only got through the physical exercises today. Besides the torch lighting in the morning, Ace hadn't worked with his magic yet today, which was a little disappointing, but now that Marco was placed in charge of his training, he wasn't allowed to practice alone lest he destroy something else.

But still, _magic._

Where he grew up, magic was rather uncommon. The only person he had known with magic growing up was Luffy, but Luffy's magic was nothing like what he had seen. True, he had gotten much better over time, but when Ace had left, his magic was still rough.

Though Ace had criticized Luffy's magic, he was now the one who was new to magic, but Ace was training with _masters_.

He was definitely thankful for this opportunity, despite the _conditions._

It's not as if Ace wanted to become an assassin, but now, he had no other choice. It wasn't the first time he wondered why he was the one placed in this situation, and not some stranger from a far-off land. Too much time away from his family, and now he had to deal with the consequences. Damn. He should've kept a more watchful eye on both Luffy and Sabo- not that he wasn't proud that his little brothers were making a names for themselves.

He didn't know the first thing about assassination, but somehow the damned assassins of Cerberus had chosen him anyways. It was probably convenient for them that he recently obtained his magic.

When those soldiers stopped monitoring the Fire Cavern, he should've known that it was all an elaborate trap.

* * *

 _Ace stepped back into the sun, breathing in the fresh air as the wind blew against his bare skin. It was almost strange being outside again after spending such a long time in the Fire Cavern, but he felt renewed, refreshed. He felt warmth bubbling up inside him, demanding to be let out, and he knew that this was the feeling he'd been looking for._

 _So he breathed, and let his fire free._

 _The sparks surrounding him made him feel as if he were being welcomed home, as if he were finally complete._

 _At his own power, Ace as left breathless. He stared around at his fire, eyes growing wider and wider, and the corners of his mouth turned upwards. He laughed joyously, releasing even more fire around him._

 _A nearby bush caught on fire._

" _Whoops," Ace said, though he didn't make any move to correct his mistake. "I'll have to work on that."_

" _Indeed you will."_

 _He spun towards the source of the voice, falling over in his surprise. A hooded woman was standing next to him, and Ace had the feeling that she had been there the whole time._

" _What? What the hell?"_

 _She remained unfazed by his yelling. "Portgas D. Ace?"_

 _Something about the way she spoke his name made Ace freeze, and the welcoming warmth he had felt from his fire had abandoned him, chased off by the mere sound of this woman's voice. She already knew who he was, and Ace knew he wouldn't like whatever she had in store for him. He heard the rustling of footsteps, and he knew she wasn't alone. He was surrounded._

 _At least he wasn't one to go down without a fight._

 _Aided by a sudden rush of adrenaline, he got back to his feet and smirked. "So you know who I am," he answered. "Well, sorry to say, but I can't stay long, miss."_

" _You plan on fighting?" she scoffed. "How foolish."_

 _He was a fool? No, she was. He had magic now, and there was nothing that could stop him._

 _This would be a cinch, right?_

* * *

 _When he woke up, it was dark, there was a terrible weight on his wrist, and he was alone. Simple as that. He wasn't tied up though, so at least there was that. But why was he so cold and …_ _ **weak?**_

 _He heard a click, and suddenly, the door in the corner opened slowly. It was a relief to have it open; it was a heavy, metal door, one you would find in a prison._

 _Though he hood was removed, Ace recognized the woman from earlier from the way the corners of her mouth twisted into some sinister smirk._

" _Now you see how foolish you are."_

" _Screw off," he growled._

" _Now, now," she practically scolded, eliciting a scowl from Ace, "you are a guest here at Cerberus."_

 _When the name hit his ears, he had to contain a gasp, still wary of breaking his composure, especially now that he learned who these people were. "Cerberus? What do you mercenaries need from me?"_

" _You'll see," she replied vaguely. "But I won't be telling you. The boss wants to meet with you directly. Something about a job only you can do."_

 _If alarm bells weren't ringing in his head before, they definitely were now._

" _Come with me."_

 _He wanted to make a jibe about how he could easily take her on alone, but he was still feeling strangely weak, and a certain curiosity tugged at him. He wasn't pleased with the situation, but he chose to follow anyways._

 _Wherever this place was, Ace had no clue. Just as it was well hidden from the outside world, the outside world itself was hidden well from it, as there were no windows. He missed the sun and fresh air since he was kept away during training, especially since he had been given a teasing dose before being kidnapped._

 _He just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible._

 _Somehow, the boss's room was even darker than it already was. The bastard probably wanted to remain mysterious just to save his own hide. If the hood draped over the man's head said anything, Ace would bet that he was right on the money._

 _The man raised a hand, gesturing to the seat in front of him._

" _Sit," the man commanded lazily. Way to be pretentious._

 _Ace plopped down in the chair. It was uncomfortable to say the least._

" _Welcome."_

" _Just get to the point," Ace interrupted curtly._

" _Touchy, are we?" the man noted. "Alright then. To start off with, you may call me Cerberus."_

" _You named this place after yourself then?" Ace scoffed. "Real original."_

 _Cerberus ignored him. "I have a job that only you can carry out."_

" _And if I refuse?"_

" _I have my ways," Cerberus answered. He pointed at Ace's wrist. "That hunk of rock there will prevent you from using any of your magic."_

 _Ace bit his lip. How cruel! To have his magic snatched away as soon as he was blessed with it._

" _You can leave and just live the rest of your life cold and powerless, but if you cooperate, I'll remove it."_

 _Ace weighed his options, and a clear choice sat in his mind. He could probably find someone who could remove for him it anyways._

 _Ace glared at Cerberus, ready to refuse, but what he saw made him falter._

 _Cerberus's face was hidden for the most part, but Ace could still see how the corners of his mouth twisted into a sinister smirk. It made Ace sick._

 _He pushed some sort of shell towards Ace wordlessly. Ace recognized it from his travels, but he had never used it himself. People said that you could record a message with it for sentimental value or informational purposes._

 _But whatever message was awaiting Ace already made him shake where he sat. He reached out, picked up the device, which almost slipped out of his sweaty hands, and let the message play._

" _ **Oi, Lu! Give that back!"**_

" _S-Sabo?" This time, Ace was unable to contain his shock, and after that, he became increasingly aware of how his heartbeats sped._

" _ **No way!**_ _**I stole it fair and square!"**_

" _ **Yeah, from me!"**_

 _Ace felt as if he were actually there, watching his brothers fight- probably over food- and desperately he wanted to warn them, to tell them to just_ _ **run.**_

" _ **Honestly," a woman sighed. Ace recognized her voice from when he saw Luffy last. "They could stand to be more civilized. What do you think, R-"**_

" _ **Nami! Stop him!"**_

" _ **Don't drag me into this! And hey! Don't steal mine too!"**_

" _ **Thanks for the food, Nami!"**_

 _A sharp click sounded, and the recording cut off there, much like Ace's breath. He felt as if he was suffocating._

" _Do you understand the situation you're in now?" Cerberus asked._

" _What did you do to my brothers?"_

" _Nothing yet," Cerberus said. "But we do have eyes on them at all times, so I suggest you cooperate."_

 _Ace still wanted to refuse, but now he had no choice._

' _ **What would Lu or Sabo do in this situation?'**_ _he wondered, but alas. As much as he loved his brothers, he was too different from them to worm his way out of a situation like they would. He didn't have Sabo's brains, so he couldn't just talk his way out of this while thinking of an escape plan, and he didn't have Luffy's uncanny ability to ignore all dangers or consequences._

 _As the eldest, Ace had to protect his brothers._

" _What do you need me to do?"_

* * *

"Ace?"

He jolted upwards. Had he fallen asleep again? Damn his stupid narcolepsy, and waking up so early didn't help his sleep attacks. He would really have to plan for tomorrow then, but it would be a shame to miss some quality time with everyone else- though he already had plenty of time for that before Marco arrived.

"Ace!"

"Oh! Yeah, Teach?" He suddenly blushed, realizing how bad he had actually zoned out. "Sorry."

"Zehaha!" Teach laughed. "Sulking because you can't use your magic?"

He was partially right. Training magic was his bright side to this whole situation, though it helped that he was getting along with everyone else. "You could say that."

"Happened to us all at the beginning! Here, Want to spar?" he offered. "No magic though."

Ace took a quick second to consider his options. There wasn't really any downside, and it would be a good opportunity to for some more information- though, he _could_ have one that before Marco arrived. He wasn't really cut out for this, was he? ' _Well, might as well start now,"_ Ace thought.

"Sure!" Ace grinned, hopping up from his seat. "But shouldn't we go to the other yard first if it's just for a normal spar?"

"Nah," Teach replied nonchalantly, leading Ace over to an empty space. "I mean, they're supposed to be separate, but we mix a lot and no one really cares. Besides, it's more convenient for training that way."

"Marco doesn't mind?" Ace asked. He dropped into a defensive stance. "You'd think he'd be all up for keeping things organized."

"He is usually," Teach said, "but that's something he agreed on with Vista."

Ace swung his fist, stepping back quickly when Teach dodged. "Oh right. I forgot that Vista was in charge of the others."

Teach nodded before he began his own attack. Ace ducked underneath his fist. "I don't blame you. Marco pretty much runs the show around here now."

"What about the king?" That thought had been bugging Ace for a while now. Cerberus had asked him to assassinate Marco, who was the Crown Prince, but shouldn't he have asked Ace to kill the king? He was sure that he would have heard the news if Whitebeard died too. "I haven't met him yet. How is he?"

Teach suddenly stopped in his tracks, Ace freezing as well

"Pops has been terribly sick for a while now," Teach answered gravely.

Ace flinched. He had seen people talk about their sick relatives like that before, and usually, those sick relatives never survived, even with the best medicines and healing magic. "Sorry," he whispered.

Thing were silent between them for a few seconds, and Ace was beginning to regret accepting Teach's offer of a spar. Sure, he had learned a few things about the situation, but the guilt he felt in his stomach was unsettling.

No one liked thinking about a loved one's inevitable death. He could relate almost too well, even if the memories were a distant speck of dust.

"Don't worry about it!" Teach suddenly exclaimed, patting Ace on the shoulder, and it was as if that tense atmosphere had never existed.

"A-are you sure?"

"Of course!" he insisted, but Ace couldn't shake his guilt off.

"Hey, guys!" Thatch yelled, jogging up to them. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Er- nothing much," Ace responded, still unsure of how to react to the situation. "Do you need something, Thatch?"

"Yep! Lunch time!" he announced. "Oh yeah, and I had a message for you from Marco."

"I'll leave you two to that," Teach said. "I'll be heading inside first then."

"There's a cherry pie with your name on it, man!" Thatch called after him, Teach waving back.

"So what do you need to tell me?" Ace asked.

"Walk with me." Thatch moved forward, gesturing for Ace to follow. They headed towards the barracks for lunch, albeit slowly.

"Marco wanted to apologize again, first of all. He really wanted to start your training off right, though I'd say that you were spared for now," he joked. "He's worked some of the guys to their bones."

"It's nothing I can't handle," Ace reassured confidently. "I'm used to this kind of stuff. I'm just waiting to work on the magic. It sucks that Marco had to leave early, but I understand since he's running things right now."

"Is that what Teach told you?"

"Pretty much." Ace shrugged. "I was curious. I mean, who was taking care of everything while he was gone?" He didn't dare bring up Whitebeard's health.

"All of us commanders just sort of split up his duties," Thatch answered.

"And you can't do that now? So he can have more time for, you know…" Ace trailed off, feeling both selfish and foolish in that moment, but if Thatch thought so, he didn't comment on it.

Thatch shook his head. "Since Marco is the Crown Prince, he's held to all these expectations. The council, the citizens… _We_ try not to at least, but it's hard, and he still feels the pressure." He paused, a sigh leaving his lips. The sigh sounded familiar. Ace recognized such a mannerism from when Sabo would get mad at him when they were younger. "And he's too damn prideful let any of us help him with anything. I mean- he's letting Izo help him plan things and all, but the rest of us can't really do much for him."

"I'm not stressing him out then, am I?" Ace inquired.

Though Ace expected Thatch to sternly tell him not to cause too much trouble for Marco, he grinned instead. "I think training you is actually going to be more of a break for him," he admitted, "which is what I wanted to talk to you about personally. I want to ask a favor. Well, it's more of a favor for everyone."

"What is it?"

"Can you keep an eye on Marco for us?" Thatch requested. "Since, you know, you'll be spending a lot of time with him."

If only he knew how ironic his request was.

"Of course!"

* * *

 **Marco**

The rest of Marco's day wasn't very interesting. Though he disagreed with Sakazuki, he knew that it was in his best interest to actually prepare for upcoming events. Marco was no slacker, and neglecting his duties simply would not do, especially at such a critical time. He didn't see Ace the rest of the day, so only hoped that Thatch would deliver his message about the rest of their training schedule properly.

There was much work to be done like visiting the farmers, butchers, florists, and there were any papers to fill out before he did so. True, he could have a servant do the work for him and run his errands in the town, but Marco wasn't a fan of overworking anyone, and he knew the others had enough chores on their plates. He didn't want to burden the others with his responsibilities, especially when his responsibilities were so closely tied to his coronation and such. Besides, he was overdue for a public appearance anyways. Maybe he should bring Ace with him to get him acquainted with the townspeople.

Marco was just glad that his head wasn't spinning like yesterday. While he was stressed from having to meet with Sakazuki once more, because he preferred to see the man as few times as possible, hiding out for a while had helped him de-stress. Thankfully when he decided to leave the kitchens, Sakazuki's servant never came after him, and he was able to sneak off to the library to relish in their grand collection of books.

Later, Marco returned to his quarters to actually do the paperwork he had stressed about earlier.

He had a hefty pile, so he knew he wasn't going to finish it all today, but thankfully, he had time. It was just a matter of prioritizing his tasks. He was going to start off with finishing up the plan for everything they needed, though honestly, that would be quite the task by itself. The amount of flowers needed was going to be an absolute nightmare, even for Izo.

A knock sounded on his door. "Marco?"

Speaking of…

"Come in!"

Izo entered the room, arms laden with various fabrics. "Hello, Marco dear!" he greeted. "I see you're busy as usual."

"The paperwork won't finish itself, yoi."

Izo hummed absentmindedly, ignoring Marco's comment and laying the different materials out on Marco's bed. "Yes, yes. Now take a break. I need to know your opinion on which fabrics to use."

"Alright, then," Marco accepted, setting down his pen and standing up to follow Izo to the bed. He didn't mind taking a break for Izo since the topic of fabrics was rather relevant anyways, and he already thought that he was making good progress.

"I know that we're probably going to have to use the traditional colors- the council will have a fit if I don't- but I want to know what you think is most comfortable. Also, puffy sleeves will _never_ do you justice, so I want to sketch up some new designs different from the old ones, and those over there are for-"

"Izo!" Marco interrupted. "Just breathe and focus on one thing at a time, yoi."

Izo stopped, nodding as he followed Marco's advice. "I'm sorry, Marco," he apologized. "I just have so much to make! And you know how I get about all the little details." He stopped. "But what am I saying? You have much more to worry about than I do!"

Marco shook his head. Izo could complain a lot, but this time, it wasn't as bad. "Don't worry about it. I can handle it, though your eye for decoration is much appreciated- and the clothes too."

"It's really nothing," Izo said, "though really. You know you could-"

"I know what you're going to say, and I can handle this, Izo," Marco repeated firmly, and that was the end of that conversation. They continued speaking about the different fabrics, and eventually, Marco picked a regal velvet and a silk to line the inside of the garment.

The conversation eventually moved onto the topic of the flower arrangements and decorations. He was glad that he could have Izo as his "official" planner, though Marco was planning on taking care of most of the tasks himself. Izo just had a sort of aesthetic eye that was needed in these situations. It was better not having to take suggestions by someone the council hired, though he hoped Izo wouldn't stress himself out too much. It was Marco's burden to bear.

"Have you decided where?" Izo asked. "So I can officially know what decorations to get and how the flower arrangements will be for Flora."

"Outside," Marco answered. "I want more citizens to come so that they can enjoy the festivities too."

"Agreed," Izo said, smiling at Marco. "See? You're going to make a great king. You think about the people, just like Pops does."

Marco bit his lip, but he hid this action from Izo. "That's what I'm aiming for, yoi. That's what Pops would want."

"I know you want to make him happy, Marco," Izo said, frowning slightly, "but Pops doesn't expect you to be the same king he was. None of us do."

"I know," Marco sighed. "I just don't really know what kind of king I would be, yoi."

"Didn't I already tell you? A good one," Izo shot off quickly. "Now, if it worries you so much. Just don't think about it right now. You have time before the coronation-not that thinking about it will help much. There's too much to do now for you to stress about it!"

Marco took in Izo's words, smiling in resignation when they finally processed in his mind. "You're right," he agreed. Izo always knew what to say to get out of a slump- though sometimes it could be a little more on the _harsh_ side. Marco was glad that this was not one of those times.

"Think about other things instead!" Izo suggested. "Like training with Ace! How did this morning go, by the way?"

"Pretty well so far," Marco answered, "but we're definitely not far enough along for me to say much. It's only been a day."

"Well I know you'll get things done. You have things planned out?"

Marco gestured towards his desk. "I drew up a schedule yesterday, yoi."

"Of course," Izo commented. "You're always so organized. Well keep me posted, okay?"

"Why?"

"Am I not allowed to know how my brother's doing?" he huffed. "Really, Marco."

"Fine, fine!" Marco exclaimed. "But don't blame me if you get bored."

"Why would it? I know it relaxes you."

"You just like gossip."

Secretly, past the teasing, Marco was thanking Izo.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ace**

That night Ace did not repeat the mistake of staying up late with his fellow soldiers. He was not here to party, and if he wanted to do so, there would be plenty of time for it later. It was _his_ priority to focus on his training- though Cerberus would definitely argue otherwise. He was just glad that the damn bastard wasn't here hovering over his shoulder.

Ace was rather satisfied with himself when he awoke that morning- or at least he hoped that it was morning. But he heard the door open from across the room, confirming his suspicions Marco had come to wake him up once again. Had he no faith in him?

Ace smirked to himself. He might as well have a little fun with this, right?

Quickly he dropped his amused smile, exchanging it for a peaceful, sleeping expression and keeping his breaths quiet and steady. Just when he felt Marco's hands hovering over him to shove him off the bed like yesterday, Ace pulled him down into a tangle of sheets.

"Surprise!" Ace laughed out when Marco let out a startled yelp. "Didn't think I would wake up, did you?"

Marco struggled to right himself into a comfortable position, but once he did the weight of this little prank finally hit Ace. He was glad that the lighting in the room was dark, for if it was not, Marco would be able to see the slight dustings of a blush on Ace's cheeks. One would call the position rather… _intimate._

"I admit so," Marco answered, seemingly unfazed by their current arrangement. "Though I'm glad to see that you were ready, yoi. You have good instincts, it seems."

"Th-thank you!"

Suddenly, a thump- no, several- sounded near the bed, and Marco whispered out a sharp grunt when a pillow hit his side. Their banter had woken the others, though Ace couldn't really blame them for being annoyed.

"Get out of here, you two!" someone groaned.

So- after clambering off of him- Marco helped Ace out of bed and led him out of the room. "Let's get going," Marco said. "Can you keep up like yesterday?"

"Er- yeah, but, Marco, I didn't change."

He stared blankly back at Ace for a second before looking down- and then away- once he saw Ace's problem. "M-my mistake. I'll wait outside." And with that, he left a very confused Ace standing in the middle of the hallway.

Ace couldn't help but blame himself for this whole thing. If he hadn't pulled Marco down, then there would've been no problem whatsoever. But then again, there was no point in dwelling on the issue now. He shrugged to himself and entered the room again.

He was met with more complaints to say the least.

* * *

They followed the exact same exercise pattern as they had the previous day, starting with lighting the torches. Ace noticed that the pillars had been repaired from yesterday (magic really was amazing), and the task went much more smoothly too. It was nice not getting frustrated and blowing up a pillar. Though Ace was far from having a complete grasp of his powers, he was glad that he had shown some control for once.

Once he finished his final lap around the castle grounds- without breaking sweat, mind you- he grinned at Marco.

Marco smiled back. "I'm impressed. Most people would complain on the first or second day at least."

"Yet here I am," Ace bragged shamelessly, grin never leaving his face. "I'm used to it, and besides, I can't get tired when I have so much to learn!"

"You know, I haven't trained someone so eager to learn before, yoi."

"Well, there wasn't really a lot of magic around when I was younger."

Marco nodded and made a short noise of understanding before continuing. "Anyways, enough of that. Did Thatch tell you about the schedule?"

Ace frowned in confusion. "No?" So that's the message Thatch needed to deliver to him yesterday?

Marco's crossed arms and annoyed sigh- no doubt at Thatch- caught Ace's attention, and he quickly tried to amend the mistake. "I probably distracted him from talking." Those words weren't far from the truth, but Marco didn't need to know they were talking about him.

Marco shook his head. "It's fine. I should've gone to tell you myself."

"Nah. I get it. You were busy. What were you saying about a schedule?" he asked, wanting to return to training.

Thankfully, Marco seemed to get the hint. "I wanted to structure your training, so I created a rough schedule of what you'll need to learn," he explained. "Everyone learns differently, so we'll have to see what works for you. I want to try fitting most of this in before things get too busy around here."

Ace noticed that Marco didn't directly address the coronation directly, but he decided it a bad idea to bring this fact up. "Can I really master magic that quickly?"

"Not master," Marco denied, "but it's enough for you to get a good grasp on your powers to work towards mastering it on your own. I have confidence in you, yoi."

Ace flushed. "Thanks."

"Now," Marco continued. "We'll spend the first week seeing what you can do. What have you tried with your fire so far?"

"Mostly fireballs," Ace admitted. "I wanted to try making walls out of fire or something, but the others told me I shouldn't try yet. And that knife you threw at me yesterday passed through. Is that normal?" He felt a bit guilty about asking so many questions, but he couldn't help his curiosity.

"For magic users of your kind, yes," Marco said. "It's a very useful ability, but I will warn you now that it does not make you invincible."

Ace nodded. He had already learned that the hard way.

"We'll start simple and work our way up. No fire walls for now though."

"Aw, boo," Ace whined jokingly.

Marco chuckled at his tone. "Do I hear a complaint?"

"Not at all!"

"Good." He jabbed his thumb towards some targets, which he had set up when Ace was running. "Fireballs. Now."

"How do you know that it won't go like before?"

"I don't," Marco said bluntly. "We'll work on your control later."

Ace swallowed the lump in his throat nervously.

* * *

 **Marco**

By the end of the week, Ace _did_ get to try his flame wall with… _decent results._ Well, if one could consider only _almost_ setting the building next to the training yard on fire (maybe they had rejoiced a little too soon) _decent_. Thankfully- while Ace was busy panicking and trying to find a source of water to extinguish the fire- Marco was able to neutralize it.

Ace had apologized many times, another sheepish grin gracing his features.

"Don't worry about it," Marco reassured. "You'll get the hang of it."

As Marco suspected, just letting Ace go loose- under his supervision, of course- was a great way to judge Ace's scope of abilities so far. Though Ace hadn't thought much past fireballs, flames walls, and generally just setting everything on fire (he admitted such to Marco), he looked forward to helping Ace towards what he could really do.

But doing so would require more than just hands-on training. Needless to say, Ace was rather surprised when Marco led him into the castle after his physical exercises rather than starting on working .

Ace followed behind Marco, glancing around in curiosity. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Marco answered with a mysterious smile.

It was easy for him to lead Ace to their destination without thinking. It was one of his favorite rooms after all.

The doors towered high above them, higher than Pops' bedroom, but still lower than the throne room's. Still, the doors were lighter than they looked- not that that would be a problem for Marco if they _were_ heavy- and Marco easily pushed one open to reveal sunlight from the room spilling out into the hall. The light was almost blinding though, and Marco saw Ace cover his eyes to adjust before they entered.

"Welcome to the New Edwards library." Marco said, looking up at the countless amount of bookshelves proudly.

He looked over at Ace, whose mouth was agape in awe as he looked all around the room, trying to figure out what to focus. The expression was amusing, yet Marco couldn't blame him. That's the same way he reacted when Pops first showed him the library.

Numerous books, novels, and tomes of different sizes and colors were lined up on the shelves, which were stacked high atop each other until they reached the ceiling. Ladders were attached to them here and there to help access those in hard to reach locations, symmetrical spiral staircases snaked up on either side, and there seemed to be a few little hallways leading away from the main room. To say this place was amazing would be an understatement, in Marco's opinion.

"Wow," Ace whispered. "I've never seen so many books in one place before!"

"We have one of the largest collections in the world, yoi," Marco informed. "Second only to Ohara."

He had many good memories about visiting their country's library as well. It was carved out from the inside of a tree of all places! It wasn't filled with the sunlight like their library was, though the princess had nagged him about proper book care when she had visited for the first time (which prompted Marco to inform her of the protection spells).

"That's the next country over, right?" Ace asked. "I traveled a bunch, but I haven't been there."

"Maybe we'll get to go sometime," Marco suggested, yet his interest was piqued at Ace's previous statement. "I'd be interested in hearing about your travels though."

"I'll tell you sometime then!" Ace agreed enthusiastically, and suddenly Marco had something else to look forward to. "Anyways, um… why are we here again?"

"Follow me."

They walked up one of the spiral staircases, hands trailing up the railings lined with gold, and Marco brought Ace through one of the side halls, which was filled with more books. At the end, there was a small room, a study table in the middle.

"The library is the quietest place in the castle, so it's the best place to study," Marco explained, reaching over for the books he had retrieved the night before, "which is exactly what you'll be doing."

"Studying?" Ace exclaimed, slight disappointment in his voice imminent. "Can't we just do what we did last week?"

"I know it's not what you expected when you came here to train," Marco started, hoping the rest of his explanation would help lessen Ace's reluctance, "but continuing to just use your powers without understanding them won't help us to make any progress. And all magic users are required to learn the concepts. You are no exception, yoi."

When Ace stared at him in silence, Marco thought he had been too stern with him. He wouldn't be surprised if he had though considering Ace's happy-go-lucky behavior, but soon after Ace was pulling a chair up next to him without any other hesitations.

Marco raised an eyebrow, shocked that Ace had agreed so quickly. "Really?"

Ace nodded at him in acceptance, but was he- because Marco knew that he could just be seeing things- was he _blushing?_

"The faster I learn the faster we can go back to actual training, right?" Ace pointed out, looking away a little. Yep. That was definitely a blush- a rather cute one too. "Maybe I'll find it interesting, but ah- I'm not used to reading a lot, so forgive me if I'm kinda slow."

"Don't worry. This isn't like a school. I won't be testing you, yoi."

"Right. School." Ace looked down. "None of those where I come from. My brother taught me how to read."

"We'll read together then," Marco said sitting down beside him. "And I know it's a lot to take in, so I'll explain some of it as well. You would never process anything if you had to read everything."

He opened the book to the page he had marked yesterday. "Read."

Ace looked at the page and then back at Marco. "Out loud or to myself?"

"Whichever you prefer. Feel free to ask questions whenever you prefer"

And so, after a quick glance towards Marco, Ace started. "' _It is important for magic users to know what kind of magic they have when learning how to utilize it. Magic is split up into a few broad groups: Basic Magic, Holy Magic, and Counter Magic, which all each have their own subcategories. Another order of magic that occurs among these groups is: Learned Magic, Blessed Magic, and Innate Magic, though some argue that Innate Magic should not be considered its own group (this will be discussed in chapter six).'"_

Ace stopped to frown in confusion, eyebrows furrowing downwards. "Isn't it confusing to have so many categories?"

"To those first starting out," Marco replied helpfully. "Typically we try to focus on the types that we have, and once you know how each category fits into each other, then you don't have to think about it anymore. How did you acquire your powers?"

Ace opened his mouth and quickly closed it as if he wasn't sure if he should disclose that information, but eventually he revealed, "Well, I was traveling- like I told you earlier- and I was looking for this place to train called The Fire Cavern."

Marco's eyes widened. The Fire Cavern? No wonder Ace's magic was so powerful despite being in its early stages. Many people knew of the power that slept there, but no one had succeeded in obtaining it. Until now apparently. Ace must've been either brave or stupid, but judging from what Marco learned about him so far, the case was probably both.

"So I was in there for a bit, right? And I had supplies, so don't worry about that," Ace added. "Anyways, there was a dragon there, and I kinda, maybe, sorta… fought her?"

"You fought a dragon?!" Marco exclaimed. Yep. Definitely brave and stupid.

Suddenly, Ace's earlier sense of privacy was gone, and he was beaming proudly. "Yep! And well, I didn't _win_ per say, but we tied!"

"You _tied_ in a fight with a _dragon._ "

"And that's when the dragon said I was worthy of her power I guess."

Ace had impressed Marco the week before with his endurance and physical strength, but to hear that someone- _without magic-_ took on a dragon, was almost unbelievable. _Almost_. Somehow, Ace made him believe it, and Marco had no reason to place doubt into Ace's words.

"So that would be Blessed Magic then, right?" Ace guessed.

Shaking himself from his state of disbelief- because he was _sure_ he was staring and staring was _rude_ \- he shot Ace a nod. "You got it, yoi," he confirmed, warmth welling up in his chest when Ace beamed wider.

"Your magic is also Holy Magic because it is a specific, focused power," Marco continued. He turned to chapter two. "Ready to learn more?"

"Of course!"

* * *

 **Ace**

Ace would admit that he never learned that much in his entire life. There were no schools where he had grown up (as he told Marco earlier), and the only things he thought were important to learn pertained to fighting and hunting. Thankfully, Sabo had at least taught him some navigational skills before he started traveling.

Though his head was spinning from trying to process all the information, he couldn't say that it was uninteresting. Marco was rather engaging, and Ace frequently found himself asking questions. Not out of confusion, but rather out of curiosity.

He found a new understanding as to why things were fixed so quickly (under the category of Basic, Learned magic), he cheered when he found out that his magic, which was under the subcategory of elemental (there was seriously _way_ too many categories to memorize than what should've been acceptable), was considered one of the most powerful kinds, and he gaped when he found out that Marco own Holy Magic was also Innate. Marco had been training with his magic his entire life. Just how powerful was he?

But when Ace asked to see his power, Marco refused.

"You'll get to see it sometime," he had said.

Suddenly, the task of assassinating him seemed much more daunting, but Ace had to try. Maybe if he trained up enough before the coronation, he would stand a chance. Although, it hadn't occurred to him until he left that he had obtained some potentially useful information, yet he wasn't a professional, so he had no idea how it would actually be useful. On the plus side, Marco _was_ trusting of him, which would help in the future.

But a couple of weeks had passed already, and he had yet to have a single thought on how he would even begin to _plan_ to assassinate Marco, which was a lot to take in. Sure, there was plenty of time before the coronation and he was going to take full advantage of the training offered to him, but if he wasn't prepared when the time actually came, things would spell disaster for him.

"Maybe I'll get lucky," he muttered to himself.

"Get lucky with what?" Teach asked as he approached Ace from behind.

Ace yelped, almost dropping the box he was carrying.

"Careful."

"You scared me," Ace said once he had adjusted his grip. "Anyways, it's really nothing."

Teach shrugged. "If you say so, but people are going to stare if you keep talking to yourself."

"I know."

During Ace's time here, he had learned that, besides protecting the people and whatnot, the soldiers were required to help with tasks around the castle. These mostly consisted of chores requiring physical labor, so none of it was too much of a problem for Ace- not that that stopped him from complaining about cleaning up a particularly bad mess when the situation called for it. He was more used to hunting food to earn his keep, but it could've been worse. At least he could talk to the others while he did his "chores".

"I heard you went to the library today. How was that?" Teach asked, shooting Ace a friendly grin.

"It's a lot to take in," Ace voiced. "Am I supposed to be able to memorize everything about each type of magic?" He had been meaning to ask that, but thought it a bad idea to ask Marco of all people.

"Not unless you want to," Teach said. "Or if you're a scholar or something."

"Definitely not then." As interesting as the subject was, he didn't really care to memorize things that weren't useful to him. "Your magic?"

"I just know basic magic. And some Counter Magic," he added, "but that's pretty useful for anyone really, so Marco might teach you that too later."

"I'll keep that in mind." Ace set the box he was carrying down, and he reached up to knock on the rear kitchen entrance. "Delivery!"

He waited for either Thatch or someone from the kitchen staff to open the door, but he was taken aback when Izo answered his knock.

"Oh good!" Izo exclaimed, pulling Ace into the kitchen without giving him time to pick his box back up. "I needed you for something. Hello to you to, Teach! Do you mind finishing the deliveries, please?"

"Of course, sir!"

"How many times have I reminded you about formalities? We're like family here!" Izo called after him, and Ace heard him laugh as he left.

"Come with me," Izo said, untying the apron he was wearing. This sight made Ace double take, but he couldn't help noticing that Thatch, who took a break from chopping vegetables to greet Ace, was the only other person in the room. At first, he thought about storing the memory of this situation for later, but then he remembered that there was very little one could hold over Izo's head. Even Ace admired his amount of confidence.

"What did you need me for?" Ace inquired, easily keeping up with Izo's hasty stride.

"There's something I need to work on right away, and I know I can trust you to help me get my supplies to my work room in one trip," Izo explained.

"Working on something?"

"You'll see."

Ace wished that everyone would stop being so vague with him, but right now he saw no reason to complain. The fact that he would probably see what Izo was working on helped. And it wasn't too hard to figure out when Izo dumped spools of fabric into his arms. He too held a box of assorted ornaments of a sort. "This way!"

Izo's workroom, much like the kitchen, was on the first floor of the castle, so it was a long walk back downstairs, and climbing all those stairs back down wasn't very fun, especially when he couldn't see his feet . For a brief moment, Ace wondered if some magic existed that could've made this trip easier, but then again, if it did, Izo probably would've used it already.

The room was out of the way, and at a first glance (both the interior and exterior of the room), no one would've guessed that a prince spent much of his time in it. There was even more fabric covering every surface, and needles with remnants of thread lying around. The blatant mess in front of Ace was so unlike the Izo that he had come to know over the past few weeks, but at the same time, it was a nice window into his passion.

Izo gestured towards the corner. "Put those over there, please!"

Ace carefully waded around the mess on the floor to comply with Izo's request, and when he turned around, a seat that he hadn't realized was a seat had been cleared off. "Sit if you'd like, dear!" Izo called as he went further into the room to retrieve his project.

It would be rude to refuse the offer (he was taught better than that), but the seat felt rather small under him as he waited for Izo.

Suddenly, anxious thoughts began running through Ace's mind. Why did Izo want to see him? By the looks of it, it couldn't be anything _bad,_ but he couldn't help worrying. He had heard _rumors_ after all (apparently Izo had this weird way of just _knowing_ things about a person), though those could've be worse.

"No need to look so nervous," Izo said when he appeared again. He seemed to be pinning something to a dress form in the center of the room. "I just wanted to show you something."

Ace sighed in relief. It was reassuring to know that he wasn't brought here to be interrogated.

"Come have a look." Izo gestured him over, and sacrificed his seat for an inevitable, future mess.

The garment seemed to be some sort of dress shirt. There was an incredible amount of detail on the buttonholes alone. It was lined with a sort of gold thread, which seemed to pop out from the vibrant red, and stitching looked perfect. It was incredibly well made, and left Ace wondering what else Izo had made.

"What do you think?"

"I love it!" Ace complimented. "You're really good at this, Izo."

Izo smiled at him. "I'm glad you think that, because it's yours."

"What?!" Ace's jaw dropped. "I can't accept this!"

But would not accept that answer. "Of course you can!" he insisted. "I'm sure you know that the coronation is coming up- well, and many other events surrounding that."

"Yeah, but-"

"And I know for a fact that you have no formal garments!" Izo continued, ignoring Ace's protest. "C'mon, dear. Take it. My work is the best after all."

Ace stared at the shirt in awe, still amazed that Izo would give him something so nice looking. He had never owned something so nice before since he never had any need for something so nice looking, Thinking about wearing it kind of made him excited.

So he smiled and said, "Thank you, Izo!"

* * *

 **Marco**

After that day, the two began to fall into a comfortable schedule: physical training every single day and alternating between magic training and studying in the time after. He knew later that they could start deviating from this to focus on magic more, and that moment may come sooner than he originally planned. He was pleased to say that Ace was a rather quick learner, and though he complained about studying at first, was bettered by learning the concepts.

Of course, it took him a few tries to get things right, but he was still making astounding progress. Just like today.

"Good." Ace's fireballs were better concentrated now, and they didn't explode everywhere when they hit their mark (well, unless Ace wanted them to, but it would be risky to experiment while still training). "Again."

"Sure thing!"

Marco was rather surprised when Ace shot a wink at him, and then he suddenly he sprung forward onto his hands, executing a quick flip and igniting his feet before he landed and finally shot off his fire.

"Show off," Marco chuckled, amused by Ace's unnecessary flair. "Not bad using your legs though."

"Thanks," Ace said, walking up to him and grinning widely. "It went _way_ better than I thought though. I didn't practice it too much."

"And what possessed you to show it to me now?

"I thought that it would be a nice surprise!" he answered. "I've been trying to think more about what I can do with my powers, like you told me to."

"Well, it was certainly surprising- in a good way, of course," Marco praised. "It's harder to focus magic in other areas of the body, but I see that you're picking it up quite nicely. You'll still need to practice though."

Something twinkled in Ace's eyes when he said this. "Can we work on it next?"

Unfortunately for Ace, his request was denied. "Let's keep you focused first," Marco said. Ace's posture sunk, and Marco felt the slightest sting of guilt in his heart. "It's not so bad, yoi, so chin up. Remember-"

" _Emotions have a heavy influence on one's magic,"_ Ace recited perfectly, referring back to one of their earlier lessons. "So acting sad wouldn't really help me, right?"

Marco smiled and ruffled Ace's hair proudly. "See? You're a fast learner, so I'm sure it won't be long until you can move on to more advanced techniques," he encouraged.

He was careful not to use the word "we". Even though he wanted to see Ace through to his

fullest potential, he wasn't sure how much of reality that could actually be.

"Okay. One more control exercise, and then you can head to lunch."

"Actually," Ace interrupted. "I was wondering if we could do something else."

Ace hadn't been exactly clear, so Marco couldn't help but be at least a little suspicious. It's not as if he was going to deny his request without hearing it. He stare at Ace, waiting for him to continue.

"I want to spar with you."

It took Marco a few seconds to process Ace words, and he couldn't help shooting Ace a hesitant look. It's not as if he did not want to par with Ace, but rather that he was sure that Ace wasn't ready. Yes, he would admit that Ace had amazing stamina and that he was a fast learner, but he didn't stand a chance next to Marco's years of experience.

"Are you sure?" Marco asked. "I don't think you're ready."

Ace was not deferred though. His cocky grin just grew. "I think I can hold my own."

Marco recognized the adamant look in his eyes; the kind of look of a refusal to say no.

"Fine," he sighed, trying to look at the positives of the situation. It would be a good opportunity to judge Ace's physical capabilities directly. Who knows? Maybe a spar would be interesting. He would have to hold back though.

Ace's eyes lit up. "Really?" His smugness vanished, replaced with eagerness. "I didn't think that you'd say yes!"

Ace's happy look sent a flutter through Marco, casting his doubts away. Even if Ace wasn't up to his level yet, one round wouldn't be hurting anyone, right? Well, except maybe the loser if Ace was a sore one.

Once they had cleared the space of targets, the faced each other, and it was hard not to notice that some of his brothers and sisters were gathering around.

"Shouldn't you all be training or doing chores, yoi?" he yelled out to them, some of them flinching or scrambling away.

But most stayed, especially when Haruta and Thatch waved everyone back, stepping up to Marco. Of course it would be those two troublemakers to keep everyone off task.

"Relax, Marco!" Thatch said. "Let us have some fun for once. It's not every day that we get to see you spar with someone."

"Yeah!" Haruta agreed in a shout. Marco briefly eyed the beri she was holding, collecting it from Vista. He should've known that they would take advantage of this situation to form a betting pool, though he was rather curious how the idea had gained steam so quickly since he and Ace had agreed to a spar only moments before. "You're always too busy!" And following that, another shout of agreement rose up.

He looked over at Ace, who was busy stretching as Teach wished him luck. He didn't really seem to mind the audience.

"Fine, fine," he sighed. It wasn't a bad idea to have someone oversee the spar.

A cheer rose up as he approached Ace, placing himself into a comfortable stance, Ace doing the same.

Haruta finished gathering up money for their betting pool, and Thatch said, "Magic or no magic?"

"No magic." Marco responded quickly before Ace could suggest that they use magic. True, he was a quick learner, but it was probably for the best that he not use his magic near such a big crowd. His control was better, but there was still a chance. On top of that, he had resolved himself not to use his sense magic. It wouldn't be fair to Ace.

"Then I assume we're all ready then, gentlemen," Thatch continued. Grinning widely. "Three… Two… One… Go!"

Ace's enthusiasm towards this showed right away when he charged directly at Marco. A foolish, decision, Marco noted, and he was ready to dodge when he noticed Ace shift. So he was actually going for a low kick? The quick switch in move was rather interesting, but Marco had no time to dwell on that now. If he was knocked flat, but he would be at a great disadvantage.

Thankfully, Marco was able to jump up to dodge properly. "Nice try, yoi," he shot before making a move of his own, one that Ace promptly blocked as well.

"I could say the same to you." Ace smirked.

They continued exchanging blows, the sounds of everyone else rooting for them slowly fading around them. Ace was fast, fast _and_ strong. In fact, Marco was beginning to think that he was holding back too much. Some of Ace's hits pushed him back a bit, or were barely dodged.

Marco was definitely having second thoughts about underestimating Ace. He knew that he had amazing stamina, but he never felt his physical strength until now- not that he thought Ace was weak. He couldn't have been weak with _that_ body.

Still, as strong as Ace was, he was no match for Marco. It was time he ended this. Ace was by no means a professional, and even though they had only practiced magic together, it was easy enough for Marco to spot a weakness in Ace's defense, and moments, later he had pinned Ace to the ground.

Ace stared up at him with wide eyes, and their spectators seemed to go silent.

Or maybe that was because Marco really couldn't hear them. Adrenaline was still pumping through his veins. He hadn't had a spar that exhilarating in a _long_ time. Ace was good, and he _liked_ it.

He climbed off of Ace, offering out his hand. "You okay, yoi?"

Ace's expression hadn't changed, but he nodded slowly. He took the offered hand, but before he could say anything, they were surrounded by the others who were chattering loudly. He felt a few pats on his back, and saw that Teach and Haruta were doing the same to Ace.

"Good match, guys!"

"We haven't seen you like that in a while, Marco!"

The compliments and cheers went on longer than he anticipated, and Marco let out a sigh of relief when they finally left him alone with Ace. They leaned against the far wall to catch their breaths, both still exhausted from the spar.

"That was good," Marco noted.

Ace beamed at him in agreement. "Sure was! I'll beat you next time though."

At that, Marco couldn't help chuckling. "Are you sure about that, yoi? Don't get cocky."

"Well, I'll just have to keep trying then."

"I wouldn't mind that."


	4. Chapter 4

**Ace**

Ace rested his head on the table and scowled when Haruta grinned at him.

"What's wrong, Ace?"

"I think you already know," Ace groaned. "Marco's been kicking my ass!"

"Well what did you expect?" Haruta asked. "Marco's the leader for a reason, you know."

"Yeah, but I thought he would stop and tell me to work harder or something!" Ace exclaimed. "I didn't think that we would spar every day."

Though Ace had been the one to challenge Marco the first time, and many subsequent times, Marco had already seemed to naturally integrate a harmless spar into their training routine. Well, harmless enough. Ace was left exhausted almost every time. Frankly, it was a little disappointing

"You know," Thatch started from his seat next to Ace, "I think he gets off on it."

A gasp sounded, and Izo hit him on the back of the head. Thankfully, they were too distracted to take notice of Ace's reddening face

"Ow!"

"Do you have to be so vulgar?"

"It was a joke!" Thatch whined. "You have to admit that we haven't seen him that interested in a while though."

"Fair enough," Izo agreed. "I think Ace does make him rather happy."

"True!" Haruta piped.

"Wh-what are you guys even talking about?" Ace stuttered. Did they have to talk about something so embarrassing?

"Take it in stride, Ace!" Izo said.

"Eeh?!"

But before Ace could process anything else, their conversation came to a halt.

"Hey, Ace!" Teach called, walking up to them. Ace tried to hold in a sigh of relief from being pulled away from the embarrassing topic. "Marco needs you up in the library."

Good. A chance to escape. He stood up quickly "Thanks for telling me, Teach. See you guys later."

"Have fun, Ace!" Thatch yelled after him, and Ace had to ignore Haruta's giggle and Izo's smug smile. Just what were those three even implying? He tried to shake it off- key word, _tried_ \- but it was hard not to think about.

Were they just teasing him? Or were they really trying to tell him something about him and Marco? They were probably just teasing him judging by Haruta's and Thatch's reactions. Maybe going to see Marco alone was what made them laugh.

Speaking of that, Ace _was_ alone. More specifically, he was alone and _lost._

Admittedly, he hadn't actually been in the castle on his own enough to know where he was going without guidance, and the castle was giant. He really should've known where the library was and what the doors looked like, but he had always been too distracted with talking to Marco to pay attention. "Okay, Ace," he muttered to himself, "the library is giant too, so it will be easier to find than most other rooms."

The words were reassuring, but unfortunately wrong. He wandered up and down the winding staircases, through the nicely decorated halls, and he just could not seem to find the library doors. "How is this so hard?"

A pink-haired servant approached him. "Do you need help?" he asked.

"I'm fine!" Ace yelled out in frustration, feeling guilty when the servant squeaked and scampered away.

"Maybe I should have asked for directions," he sighed, trudging up some more stairs.

He wondered how long he had been wandering the halls of the castle. Marco must be worrying about him, or thinking that he was an idiot. Why did he have to embarrass himself like this?

He wanted to just lie down and sleep or something. Walking around like this was exhausting, but suddenly, something caught his eye: two large doors at the end of the hall, with a nice pattern carved into them. They _looked_ like the library doors, but they couldn't actually be them, right?

Well, he at least had to try.

Approaching the door, he raised his hand towards the handle, turning it and pushing the door open. "Hello?" he called. "Are you in here, Marco?"

Upon further inspection, the room definitely was not the library. He noticed that it was a bedroom right away really. It was much more compact, and the all the furniture looked as if it were made from velvet. But the most notable thing about the room was the grand bed with drapes and the man lying on it.

Embarrassed, Ace bowed. "I'm sorry, sir!" he apologized. "I didn't know that this was a bedroom."

But the man did not seem angry. Instead, he let out a loud laugh. "Gurarara!"

Before Ace could say anything else, he found that a woman was suddenly waving a rather large bowl in his face. He had to take a step back. "Excuse me, what exactly do you think you're doing in here?" she berated.

"I-"

"Calm yourself, Agatha," the man on the bed said. "I can tell that he means no harm."

"But-"

He raised a hand, and she was silenced. "Now," he started once again, "you must be that new recruit. I've heard much about you from my children."

Ace blushed. It was easy to imagine what kinds of things they had told this man.

"No need to feel so embarrassed. Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"Oh right," Ace said. "That was rude of me. My name is Portgas D. Ace."

The woman, Agatha, stared in interest. "Portgas?"

"It's nice to finally meet you, Ace," the man said. "It's unfortunate that I haven't been able to come see you in person, but my condition doesn't really allow me to." He gestured to the nearby table, where there were various vials laid out, but when Ace looked back at him, he was grinning. "Sickness isn't tough enough to beat this old man though."

"Your Majesty! You are strictly confined to bedrest!" Agatha nagged, walking over to the table to set her bowl down.

"Your Majesty?" The realization of exactly who he was standing in front of came to him then, even though if he had actually been thinking about it, he would've known sooner. "Y-you're the king! King Whitebeard!"

He had never met a king before, so he wasn't sure of how to react. Should he bow? Should he leave and apologize for barging in?

"I am," Whitebeard said before Ace could act on any of his thoughts. He shifted over on his bed so that there was a free space beside him. "Don't feel so intimidated. Come and sit, son."

 _Son._

When he heard that casual nickname, he felt his muscles seize and his breaths become heavy. Why? Of all the things the king could have called him it had to be that?

Whitebeard frowned. "I seem to have upset you. I apologize."

Ace shook his head, though the discomfort did not vanish. "It's- um- fine, I guess." He knew the lie was obvious, yet he found himself drifting over to the space on the bed. "I'm not really comfortable with it, so could you maybe call me by my name instead. If that's fine, your majesty."

"You have to call me by my name too then," Whitebeard shot back, much to Ace's surprise. "I'm not much one for formalities."

"I guess I know where Marco gets it then."

"Of course. Now how's training?" he asked. "I'd like to hear your side of things."

Ace shrugged. "I don't know if there's much to talk about if everyone's already told you everything."

"Nonsense! I'm sure there's something I haven't heard yet. Besides, I'm a bored old man here."

"You're also a sick old man who needs his rest," Agatha muttered, wringing out a wet cloth into the bowl, which she had filled with water, but Whitebeard waved his hand dismissively.

Albeit reluctantly, Ace started to speak. "Well, things have been pretty interesting so far. I never really knew anything about magic when I was growing up. The only magic user I knew was my brother, but he got his powers by accident."

"Gurarara!" Whitebeard laughed. "Interesting kid."

"You can say that again. Lu's idiotic, but lovable."

Ace didn't know what it was about Whitebeard, but there was a certain warmth to him that just made Ace feel _comfortable_. He didn't mean to keep talking about his brothers and about his time training, but the way Whitebeard listened intently made Ace smile.

"It seems you live an interesting life, Ace."

Ace shrugged. "Probably not as interesting as yours, sir."

"Being a king isn't as interesting as you would think," Whitebeard said, much to Ace's disappointment. "Especially since I'm a sick old man."

"Are you really that sick?" Ace asked.

"I'm afraid so," Whitebeard answered solemnly. "It's why my son must take the throne as soon as possible. There's not much time left, you see."

If Ace had to be honest, he hadn't been expecting such a dark answer. He knew the king was sick, and of course has aware that Marco was busy preparing to become king, but he never really thought about why. Marco had to deal with so much pressure, training him, and _this_ on top of it all? Gods…

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"I have lived a good life. Don't apologize, Ace," Whitebeard denied, though Ace still felt guilty. "Now, contrary to what I was saying earlier, I _do_ have some stories to tell. Would you like to hear one?"

Ace beamed, and he was about to answer with an enthusiastic 'yes!', but before that could happen-

"Ace!"

Marco had finally come.

Agatha hissed. "Your Highness!"

Ace beamed. "Hi Marco!" What was his rush? It was then Ace remembered how he wandered into this room "Oh, the library! I got lost. I'm so sorry!"

"Stop yelling!"

"No, it's my fault," Marco said. "I wanted to come and get you, but I got caught up in another council meeting."

"Neither of you should take the blame, my son," Whitebeard reassured. "Ace has been keeping me entertained for the afternoon, though I see you have things to do." He leaned in and whispered to Ace, "It's a shame. I could've told you some things about Marco. Maybe next time."

"Pops!" Marco's face was red, and Ace couldn't help laughing at it, especially when Agatha gave him a sharp whack for continuing to yell.

"I kid, son. You may be on your way."

As Marco began to lead Ace out with a gentle hand on his shoulder, Whitebeard stopped them for only a moment. "Oh, Ace?"

"Yes?"

"You're welcome back here anytime. Agatha will not attack you next time, I promise."

"Well, excuse me for taking necessary precautions."

And with that, he and Marco left the two to their conversation. "What was that all about, yoi?" Marco asked as they headed to the library.

But Ace wasn't sure how to answer Marco. "I don't really know. Your dad isn't that bad though."

"What? Defied your expectations?"

Ace shrugged. "He seemed pretty casual about everything- not really what I thought the king would be like. I… I felt like I could tell him anything." Well, not _everything_ of course, he added silently.

"I see," Marco said shortly, looking away.

"What's wrong? Isn't it a good thing?" Ace questioned. "Or did I do something bad again?"

Marco stopped them in their tracks, and firmly he placed his hands on Ace's shoulders once again. "I assure you that you've done nothing wrong. The problem is with me."

Ace stared at him in confusion. "How so?"

"I guess we've never really had time like that together, yoi." Marco admitted, and Ace could've sworn that his words were softer than before. "I never really thought about it, but we don't actually know too much about each other.

Ace thought he was seeing things at first, but sure enough, there was a dusting of light pink resting upon Marco's features. When he processed this, a wide grin broke out onto his face. "Aw, Marco!" he exclaimed. "Don't tell me that you're getting jealous?"

"J-jealous?" His surprised sputtering only made the warmth of delight grow.

"Well here's the solution!" Ace continued. He poked Marco in the center of his chest. "Why don't we take some time off later in the week?"

"I don't know," Marco answered reluctantly. "There's a lot to get done."

Ace rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Marco! I'm pretty sure we can find someone to take care of things for _a day_ , and we've been going faster than normal with my training, right? We have plenty of free time!"

Marco bit his lip, but Ace could tell he was definitely thinking about it. Finally, he sighed in defeat. "What's the worst that could happen, yoi?"

* * *

 **Marco**

Though Marco had initially reluctant to follow Ace's plans- he wasn't one to abandon his responsibilities after all- he was actually looking forward to spending some free time with Ace. The council didn't know of course, and Marco had no plan to tell any of them. He had heard enough of their nagging.

There was a bit of thrill to it really. Everything he had done in the past month or so had been so structured, so planned. Today, he didn't have to… _think_.

Some of it had actually been planned, in a sense. They had decided to sneak off of castle grounds, and then from there- well, Ace said that they would figure it out, to which Marco laughed.

Still, Marco woke up at the same time that morning. It would be easier to sneak out that way since he and Ace decided to keep this between the two of them. At least, that's what he wanted, but Izo showed up at his bedroom door before he was about to leave, much to his surprise.

He raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here, Izo?"

"Oh, don't give me that look," Izo said, rolling his eyes. He held up a cloth. "Here. Take this."

Marco complied, holding up the garment to take a look at it. "A hood? How did you even know I would need this?"

"I have my ways," Izo replied mysteriously, and Marco decided to leave it alone (though he wouldn't be surprised if Ace blabbed). "I have one for Ace too. And Thatch and Haruta wanted me to tell you two to stay safe."

Before Marco could ask what he meant, Izo drifted away down the hall. "Figures," he muttered to himself.

Ace was already wide awake and waiting for him when he arrived to meet him. He grinned at Marco, rocking back and forth on his heels. "Surprised to see me?" he asked eagerly.

Marco couldn't help smiling. Ace's cheeriness was just infectious. "Well, it's not unusual that you're still in bed at this time, though you're saving me the trouble, yoi," he joked. Ace punched his shoulder playfully back. "I kid, I kid. So where to first?"

Ace took his hand, and Marco rather liked the warmth. "Come with me."

Initially, Marco wondered why Ace suggested they leave so early. Sneaking out and past the guards had been easy enough, but he knew that nothing happened out in the town this early in the morning. When he decided to ask Ace about this, he shrugged. "We're just improvising, right? Well, I thought, we could find someplace to watch the sunrise first."

The idea warmed Marco's heart, so he nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a great idea, yoi."

The castle was surrounded by rather small expanse of woods since it wasn't a natural forest. It was planted for show long ago when the castle was first built (as the crown prince it was important for Marco to know the history). Still, when Marco was a child, the place seemed like a prime place to explore. Now, he rarely visited- never had time, really- but he still knew exactly where to take Ace. There was a hill just outside the woods, overlooking the town, and he was hoping the view would be just perfect.

The grass was unkempt and long, and it rustled in the breeze around their ankles as they pushed their way through the trees. The two made it just in time to see rays peaking over the horizon. Ace's sigh of contentment was music to his ears as they watched the light of a new day wash over the town.

Marco had never felt this relaxed in a long time.

What do you think?" he asked.

"It's wonderful," Ace answered. "I've never really seen something like this."

"Really?"

"Well, I've seen sunsets, of course," he continued, "but not overa big place like this. I mean, it's always beautiful in the mountains and stuff, but-" Ace paused, gesturing to some citizens on the walking through the streets already, "it's so lively seeing the people, you know? Or is that stupid?"

"No, I understand," Marco said. "I never really get to see the town like this either. It's… nice, yoi."

Ace turned to smile at him. "We should take more breaks like this then."

Despite knowing his responsibilities, Marco could resist a nod of agreement. Maybe they could. It was acceptable for a king to check on his subjects, right? And taking one of his soldiers along- for protection of course- was common.

It was back through the forest for them once their little sunrise viewing show was over. There was no convenient path to the town from where they were, and while Marco could probably fly them down, he didn't want to cause a fuss, and they were supposed to stay discreet anyways. Thankfully, the town wasn't too far from the castle gates, and it was nice walking for once. The council always insisted on using the carriage or riding on a horse to keep up with the official image, and that was something that Marco hated. They still had to pass through the noble's district, but Marco knew that no one there would be out and about at this time.

Things were already bustling when they passed through the final gate into town. There were shopkeepers opening their storefronts, bakers and butchers preparing their wares, a florist, arms laden with flowers, even pushed past them as they walked along.

"Is the capital always this busy?" Ace questioned, looking around curiously.

"It is," Marco answered. "Everyone works really hard down here. They provide for the castle and the rest of the town: the farmers, the millers, the bakers… everyone. This place wouldn't be the same without them, yoi. And yet…" He groaned. He thought he wasn't going to have to think about anything stressful, but now…

"What is it?"

While Marco knew he could choose just not to speak about it, but this was supposed to be a day for them to talk things out, to get to know each other. "The nobles and the council like to take credit for everything since they've got the money and the power. They walk all over the common people, and that's not even the worst of it."

Marco glanced towards Ace to see his reaction and he found a scowl. "I think that the council system is stupid," Ace commented. "Why does it even exist?"

"It's supposed to keep the monarch from becoming corrupt and having absolute power, but it doesn't help when the council itself is corrupt."

"Well, you can get rid of them when you're king then."

But Marco shook his head. "It's not that simple, yoi, unfortunately," he sighed. "The council is allowed to exercise their power over the army if the king's actions get out of hand, and knowing them, putting one toe out of line would set them off."

A sudden hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts, and he was surprised to see that Ace's scowl had been replaced with a reassuring smile. "I think you underestimate everyone's loyalty to you then."

"Wouldn't it still look bad to the people if I try to dismantle the council though? Not to mention what other kingdoms would think," Marco shot, crossing his arms.

Ace just shrugged. "Then find a way to put a new one in place, with people you can trust. I may not be the smartest person, but I can think of a solution when I need to. I'm here to help you, Marco."

All Marco could do to that response was stare dumbfounded. Of course, he had thought of making a change before, but he knew it might be too risky. Yet, here Ace stood, and he made it sound so easy.

He really liked that about him.

"But put that out of your mind for now!" Ace exclaimed. "We're supposed to be having a day off, so don't worry about it!"

Marco let out a warm laugh. Ace was always so enthusiastic. "Alright! Alright, yoi. Where to?"

"Well, I thought-" Ace was cut off by a sudden and low grumble. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was.

"You're hungry then, yoi?" A blush grew on Ace's cheeks. "I'll find us some food then."

The two of them drifted into the main square of town, and Marco had Ace wait over by the central fountain. Following the wafting scent of freshly baked goods, Marco was able to quickly find a nearby bakery.

"Welcome, traveler!" the nice looking woman running the place greeted. Traveler? The hood must have given off the impression. "What can I get you?"

Marco placed some beri on the counter. "I think a simple loaf of bread will do, please, y-" He cut himself off, squishing down his speech quirk with much difficulty. He had to be careful with it since it could possibly give his identity away

Thankfully, the woman didn't seem to notice. "Still hot, so be careful with it, sir!"

Marco smiled as the woman handed him the food. It wasn't anything fancy, but having something simple was good every now and then. He was hoping Ace wouldn't mind either because of his appetite. "It's perfect, thank you."

He returned to the square, and he was greeted with the sight of Ace splashing his hand in the fountain, admiring how the water flowed down into different layers below. "Having fun?" he asked, walking up to Ace, and the blush Ace had earlier returned.

"Oh, Marco! I w-was just- erm…" Ace stuttered.

Marco chuckled. "Playing around in the fountain? Don't worry about it, yoi. I thought it was cute." He froze, realizing what he just said.

"O-oi." Ace pouted. "I _wasn't_ playing, and I'm not cute."

Marco thought that the pout on his face said otherwise, but he decided against opening his mouth, choosing instead to finally split the bread and hand Ace's half over to him.

"Just bread?"

"Not enough, then. Sorry."

Ace shook his head, denying those words. "It's fine, but I _will_ be hungry later. Just a warning."

"I know, but I didn't want to buy too much."

"You just have to treat me later then!" Ace beamed.

"Fine, fine."

They finished their shared loaf in almost no time at all, and soon they were strolling along the streets again, trying to avoid busy citizens and children playing.

"So is there anything in particular that you wanted to know about?" Marco asked. "Since we're supposed to be getting to know each other and all."

Ace brought a hand up to his chin thoughtfully. "Hm… Well, I guess I haven't seen your magic yet."

"And you won't here," Marco shot down, seeing the disappointment on Ace's face. "Too risky, and besides, where's the fun in showing you when you ask?"

"No fair," Ace whined. "Okay then, what were you like as a child then?"

"I don't really think I changed much, if I have to be honest, yoi. I was always reading, or training my magic, but I liked to explore the castle," Marco replied. "A little less behaved too. Private tutors really tried to ingrain manners into all of us, but there were too many of us to actually keep track of. Pops eventually just let them go, but we kept basic manners. No fancy etiquette, thankfully."

Ace laughed. "I'm just trying to imagine Haruta and Thatch acting all prim and proper!"

Marco couldn't resist laughing at that thought as well. He was about to ask Ace a question back, but suddenly, the man gasped and rushed to the window of a nearby store. Before, he knew it, Ace entered the store, and Marco had to follow behind.

The place looked like a small shop for books. It wasn't anything impressive by any means, especially since Marco spent much time in the library in the castle, but Ace didn't seem to be looking at the collection available. He seemed to be admiring a leather journal with a wave mark on the cover. It seemed that it was hand-bound with care, and it came with a beautiful feather quill.

"Do you like writing then?"

Ace's answer was blunt. "Nope," he said, "but my brother does."

Marco stared at him in curiosity. "So you have brothers too?"

"Yep!" In that moment, Ace's eyes lit up with a sort of joy and pride that filled Marco with warmth. "Lu and Sab are the best, but Lu is kind of an idiot. Sab's is the smart one, but I love both of them the same." He smiled. "They're my precious little brothers after all."

"So we're both the eldest in the family then. It's nice to have that in common then." Marco picked up the journal, turning it over and examining it in his hands. "This is very well made, yoi. I'm sure you're brother will love the gift." He turned towards the counter to pay, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"You don't need to pay for me, Marco," Ace insisted.

"I'm supposed to treat you though, aren't I?" Marco countered. He heard Ace mutter something about "food" before he was able to continue. "And I'll treat you to a _feast_ later, but I see no harm in helping you pay for the gift. If it really bothers you, then I insist on at least paying for half of it."

Ace nodded slowly. It was easy to know that he was still hesitant.

"Look, Ace," Marco continued, "this whole day was your idea. I wanted to know more about you, and now I know about your brothers. I want to thank you, and this is my way of doing it, yoi." He ruffled Ace's hair. "You're amazing, you know, and you deserve it."

His words seemed to soften Ace up even a little bit because he saw how the corners of Ace's mouth turned upwards slightly, as if he were trying to contain it. "C'mon. Let's pay."

Soon, Ace was clutching a well wrapped parcel, all ready to be shipped, though Marco advised him to write a letter first to go along with it.

"Thanks, Marco," Ace said, cheerful mood returned. "Where do you want to go next?"

"There's a flower shop not far from here," Marco suggested. "Why not there?"

"Sure! Flowers sound nice!"

Marco found it rather cute when Ace smiled like that, and he was practically bouncing the whole way to the shop.

The place wasn't as big or grand compared to some flower shops in the noble's district, but it was still special. Despite the lack of status, the owners of the shop had been supplying flowers for the royal family for a long time. They, quite literally, had a magic touch, as evidenced by the young woman standing outside the shop, humming as her fingers skimmed over the petals of freshly planted flowers outside the store.

"Hello!" Ace chirped.

She jumped back, startled, but she smiled welcomingly. "Oh, hi!" she greeted back. "What can I do for you two today?"

Marco stepped forward first, lifting up his hood slightly. "Hello, Flora."

"Your Highness!" she gasped. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be up at the castle?"

"I- We," he corrected, nodding towards Ace briefly, "decided that I could use some time off, yoi."

Flora's eyes brightened. "Well, I'm glad there's someone able to get through to you. Finally!" she exclaimed, squeaking and quieting down when people started to stare. She turned to Ace. "So I'm assuming it's you then. Why don't you introduce me to your friend, Marco?"

Ace beat Marco to the punch though. "I'm Ace!" he answered. "You know Marco then?"

"Yep!" she chirped. "Flora Barnes, royal florist at your service."

"Royal florist?" Ace grinned, glancing around at a few of the flowers on display. "I shouldn't be surprised. These are beautiful!"

"Why thank you!" Flora giggled, curtsying with a joking flair. "There's some more in the shop, of course, but I need some help to bring some more out for the display."

"We can help you!" Ace volunteered eagerly. "C'mon, Marco! I want to see the flowers." He skipped into the shop before either Marco or Flora could stop him.

"You found a keeper," Flora giggled, nudging Marco's elbow. "Now, let's go. Those pots aren't going to move themselves."

Flora made them carry all different types and colors of flowers outside for the display, and Marco would say that he was rather proud of their work. It looked as if a rainbow had come to life through the petals. He and Ace also ended up tidying the shop and moving some inventory for Flora. Marco hadn't done labor like this in what seemed like forever (no one ever expected the prince to take care of such tasks), but it was a good way to get his mind off of things

"You guys have been a great help," Flora thanked, smiling widely. "What are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

"We were just going to wander around town to see what we could do," Ace said.

"Well, you might want to get going if you want to see everything then, but you guy should stop back here for dinner!" he offered.

"We couldn't intrude on you like that," Marco started, but Flora insisted.

"No, really! I'll probably be able to make something special too since you saved me so much time, and I need a proper way to thank you. I'll have a lot, so you might as well come by."

Marco glanced over at Ace to see what he was thinking, and the other was positively drooling at the thought of food. He chuckled. "Alright then. We'll be back later, yoi."

Suddenly, the storefront window forcefully shattered, almost knocking Marco and Ace back into the shelves. Marco moved in front of Ace to protect him from the flying shards, ignoring Ace's protest to do otherwise. It wouldn't hurt him anyways, he thought, as blue fire flickered over the cuts, healing them instantaneously.

"Wh-what?" Ace stuttered. But there was no time to answer questions now.

A masked figure stood in the remnants of the shop display, pointing a pistol at Marco.

"Your Highness," they drawled rather condescendingly. "You seem to have let your guard down."

Marco threw his cape aside. There was no use hiding if this person- _assassin_ \- already knew who he was. "Who are you?" he growled.

"Do it really matter?" the assassin replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I know it's honorable to know the name of your killer, and everything, but I'm not stupid. Besides…" He smiled, and the mask just made him appear creepy and unsettling. "If I kill you both, I won't have anything to worry about, but I'm from Cerberus, I'll give you that much."

Marco scoffed. This wasn't his first time dealing with cocky assassins, and Cerberus had some of the cockiest assassins of them all. He would admit that his guard had been down since this was supposed to be a day for him to relax with Ace, but now that he was actively sensing this assassin, he could tell that this battle would be a piece of cake.

That is, until the pistol was shot, and Ace jumped in front of him to protect him from the attack.

Time seemed to stop moving in that moment. Though these assassins were weak, Marco knew that they came prepared. The bullet didn't pass through like a normal attack would, and Ace crumpled to the ground.

"No!" Marco yelled, kneeling down to cradle Ace gently. "Ace! Why?"

He had never seen Ace so weak as he struggled to open his eyes, as he struggled to goddamn _breathe_. "You're…. you're the prince, so I couldn't let you die… right?" he whispered. "Th-thanks for coming with me… today, Marco. You're amazing too, you know?"

His eyes finally slid shut, but thankfully, Marco had enough of a grip on reality to see that he was breathing, but barely. He needed to get Ace back to the castle- and _fast._

Marco stood, glaring at the assassin. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't rip your head off right now, yoi."

The weapon in the assassin's hand trembled, and he turned in a bout of cowardice from seeing Marco's rage. He wasn't even given a chance to flee as Marco rushed forward, and a talon pierced through his chest. Marco didn't even need to check if he was dead.

He gathered Ace's body in his arms, blood running onto his arms. With an apology to the Flora and a promise to send help to clean up the mess later, Marco carefully moved Ace onto his back and transformed. He knew that this was the only way to get Ace back fast enough, and though risky, the shopkeeper thankfully had some spare cloth to make the task easier. He was off the ground, headed towards the castle as soon as he could.

Marco owed Ace his life now. He couldn't let him die here!


	5. Chapter 5

**Ace**

When Ace woke up, his limbs were sluggish, refusing to obey his movements, and his eyes felt like they were stinging when he tried to open them. Wherever he was, he could tell that it wasn't his room in the barracks. The pillows under his back were too fluffy and comfortable.

" _A…!"_

Ace barely heard who was speaking at first, but the words were getting clearer.

"Hang on, kid! I'll get Agatha." Whoever had been by his bedside rushed out and with that, Ace finally began to regain full consciousness.

There was a dull ache pulsing in his abdomen, and it was made worse when he tried to shift around. All he could do to was turn his head in order to see where he was. It wasn't hard to tell from his surroundings that he was obviously in a room inside the castle. The bed he was lying on was plush and spacious, as was the rest of the room. There was a small sitting area with a sofa and armchairs, a desk in the corner crowded with papers and books, and thick, red embroidered curtains pulled over the windows He may have been injured, but this surely could not have been the infirmary. Whose room was it, and why was he here?

Another shot of pain served as his reminder.

" _That's right,"_ he thought. " _I shielded Marco from that attack."_

Ace wasn't completely sure why he had done it since _he_ was supposed to be Marco's assassin, right? Should he have just let Marco take the hit? It certainly would've made his job easier, yet something didn't feel right about that.

Marco had been wonderful to him that day, so he couldn't just let him die like that.

He really couldn't be an assassin if he felt like this. How was he even supposed to save his brothers?

The door opened after he finished his thought, and Agatha rushed in.

"Ace!" Someone yelled, and he saw that Haruta, Thatch, Izo, and Teach, had made their way to the entrance of the room, but they were swiftly shooed back out by Agatha.

"Hush, you four!" she hissed. "I, and Ace, certainly don't need your distractions. Now get out!" And with that, she shut the door behind her, and audible groans of complaint sounded from behind.

"You…. You could've let them in," Ace said, struggling to get words out.

Agatha raised an eyebrow. "When you're in that state? I don't think so."

"No. I-I'm fine. Really." Ace attempted to sit up to prove a point when another sharp sting shot through him, and he stopped, cursing under his breath.

"That's what I thought." Agatha said.

Ace continued to scowl though as she started to examine him and his wound.

"Don't give me that look," she nagged. "I'm the head nurse, and it's my job to look after my patients." She stopped, sighing. "I should've known. You Portgases have always been stubborn."

At first, Ace thought he hadn't heard her correctly, but his fears were confirmed when she continued speaking. "Surprised? I delivered you with my own two hands, brat."

"Well, when you put it like that!" Ace gaped. "But you _did_ seem to recognize my name when I told the king." He hadn't the chance then to ask about it, and he thought he never would, but now, he was curious. "So… you knew my mother then?"

"Your mother and father," she answered, but Ace snarled in response.

"That man was not my father!"

"Calm yourself! It's bad for your health," Agatha insisted. "Fine. I understand. I won't bring him up again."

Knowing that filled Ace with relief. He didn't want to hear about _that man_ if he could help it. It brought up horrible memories.

"Your mother was a wonderful woman though," Agatha praised. "Do you remember her any?"

"It's hazy," Ace admitted. "But I remember that she used to sing me lullabies and stuff. She died when I was young though."

"The world lost a wonderful woman than," she said, hanging her head for a moment. "I hope her son is the same."

"Thanks, I guess?"

"Make no mistake, brat," Agatha shot, taking Ace aback.

"Wh-what?"

"I don't know why you showed up here, but if something happens to anyone here, well, you'll be hearing from more than just me," she threatened, wagging a finger in his face. That seemed to be a signature of hers. "But believe me when I say that I don't want you getting hurt either."

"It's a little too late for that," Ace quipped in an attempt to make a joke, but Agatha was not amused.

"What I was speaking of goes beyond physical injury." Ace didn't have time to ask what that meant before she finished up. "You seem to be fine for now."

"I'm pretty resilient, if I do say so myself."

"Hmph," Agatha grunted. "Don't get cocky. You were lucky that Marco's fast. The wound itself wasn't fatal, but if you hadn't arrived in time, you could've bled out."

"Oh." Ace thought it hadn't been so bad since he had definitely felt worse, but he hadn't realized he could've bled to death. It wouldn't have been so bad with his powers, right?

At that moment, Ace felt a sharp whack against the back of his skull. "Hey!"

"Don't give look," Agatha said. "If you're confused, I won't bother explaining it to you now. Marco would do a much better job. Now just rest up and enjoy your visitors for now."

She walked towards the door, opened it, and suddenly, Haruta, Izo, Thatch, and Teach rushed inside.

"No strenuous activity!" Agatha added as she walked off down the hall.

"Ace!" Haruta exclaimed, rushing up to his bedside. "We were so worried when Marco told us! What were you thinking?"

"You were reckless, which doesn't surprise me," Izo interjected, but he smiled afterwards. "We're glad that you're safe and everything turned out relatively well."

Teach grinned, gaps between his teeth easily visible. "Welcome back to the world of the living."

"I'm going to cook you up a feast later!" Thatch chimed. "Celebrations for surviving and all that."

Ace laughed. "Thanks guys, but it's really no big deal."

"No big deal?!" Haruta gasped. "You could've died!"

He shrugged. "I just did what I had to. How long was I out?"

"It's already night, but it could've been worse," Izo continued. "Any longer, and Marco would've lost his mind."

"M-Marco!" Thoughts of him had stuck in the back of Ace's mind. He would've asked earlier, but he got distracted when conversing with Agatha. "How is he?"

"He was really worried about you," he answered. "Marco insisted on staying with you, but…" he trailed off, looking away.

"Let me guess. The council."

"Bingo."

Ace groaned, guilt pooling in his gut. He could only imagine what kind of trouble Marco would get into for this. He only hoped Marco wouldn't take the fall for all this. It had been Ace's idea after all. Maybe _he_ would have to stand in front of the council, but the mere thought made him shudder.

"I'm sure he'll be here as soon as he can, but for now, I guess you're stuck with us!" Thatch joked.

Ace smiled. "Thanks, guys."

He was glad that they were there to keep him company because he would've been bored out of his mind without anything to do. They had brought some cards too. After carefully helping Ace sit up and arranging themselves around the bed, they began their game.

"Ready to lose?" he asked in a cocky tone.

Though injured, Ace's luck still hadn't left him, but he wasn't too focused on it. The game was more of a casual thing without any gambling or serious looks. Ace still felt a bit drowsy, and the conversation kept him awake.

"Everyone wondered where you guys went when we didn't see you training in the morning," Teach mentioned. "Well mostly everyone."

"Hey! I may love gossip, but I'm more trustworthy than people say," Izo huffed. "I can keep a secret."

"Sure," Thatch commented, but the statement was quickly retracted when Izo glared at him. "I kid! I kid!"

"Anyways, I hope things went well," Teach continued. "Besides, you know…" He gestured at Ace's bandaged torso.

"Yeah, I know," Ace sighed. "But besides that, things went pretty well! We were supposed to spend the whole day out though, so we didn't get to do much."

"On the bright side, you'll probably have some more free time now!" Haruta piped. "No training, mister! We'll make sure of that."

"Agatha already told me, and I think she might kill me first if I ever tried to train like this."

"I'd believe that," Thatch said, patting Ace on the shoulder sympathetically. "She means well, but it's always been tough love with her. Heck, even Marco isn't treated any differently, so you'll get used to it."

"Gee," Ace responded dryly. "Don't I feel special."

But suddenly, and much to Ace's confusion, Izo started to giggle. "Well, you should!"

He had a feeling that he was going to regret asking, but he did so anyways. "Why should I?" The others joined in, invoking a frown.

"Oh, honey," Izo said, shooting him a sly look. "Don't you know whose room this is?"

As fate would have it, he very owner of the room would burst in at that moment, just when Ace was getting ready to ask.

Marco leaned against the doorframe to balance himself while he breathed heavily. "I rushed here as soon as I could, yoi," Marco panted. Once his breath was finally caught, he stood up straight once more. "Ace… Thank goodness you're safe."

Ace locked eyes with Marco, and he couldn't help but get lost in the caring and warm look Marco was giving him. It made it easy to forget about the pain. It was thanks to Marco that he was alive right now,

Their silence was abruptly ended by Izo. "Well, I think it's time for us to leave!" The cards were gathered in the blink of an eye, and before Ace knew it, Haruta and Thatch, who whined, were being pushed out of the room by Izo. "We'll swing by at another time, Ace!"

Teach followed willingly behind, but stopped himself. "Oh right. I almost forgot," he said. He pulled out an envelope, setting it down on the bedside table. "A letter came for you earlier."

"You're on mail duty now?" Ace teased. "You'd just get pie stains over everything!"

"Zehaha!" Teach laughed. "What can I say? I'm a man of taste!"

"Sure, sure. Thanks, Teach."

"No problem. Rest up!"

Finally, he left the room, Marco taking a seat by the bedside. It was just the two of them now.

"You're close," Marco noted.

"Hm?" There's no way this was what Marco wanted to talk to him about right now, right? "I guess so, but I wouldn't say we're _too_ close. Why do you ask?"

But Marco brushed off is question. "Nothing, nothing. Anyways, how are you feeling right now? Be honest with me, yoi."

"It hurts a little," Ace said. "It could've been worse, you know? I'm glad that you're safe though."

"You're glad that I'm safe? _I'm_ glad that _you're_ safe!" Marco exclaimed incredulously. "You didn't have to jump in front of me, Ace. I really could've handled it, though I am thankful for your help."

"I acted on instinct, Marco. I'm not sure if I _could've_ stopped myself." He paused, adding, "I have _very_ strong instincts. Aren't I supposed to protect you anyways? And who's going to train me if you die? I would've been fine with my fire."

Marco frowned deeply. "Ace, you are _not_ fine, yoi. Don't you remember our lessons on Counter Magic?"

"Of course I do," Ace insisted. "But what does-"

"Your powers don't make you invincible, Ace. I want you to understand that," Marco explained. He reached for Ace's hand, gripping it tightly. "They can't heal you either from what I've seen from your scope of abilities. Weren't you surprised when the assassin was able to hit you?"

The realization hadn't struck Ace until then, when Marco mentioned it. He hadn't been thinking of it at the time.

"Please, Ace," Marco begged, pressing his forehead to Ace's hand. "Don't scare me like that again, yoi. You don't know how scared I was when I had to fly you back."

Ace stared, not believing what he was seeing right now. He had never seen Marco so scared, so vulnerable. He could feel how much Marco trusted him, yet he didn't want to see this again. It hurt.

"I won't, Marco," he promised, squeezing his hand comfortingly. "I wouldn't be able to train with you if that happens!"

"Well, it's not like we're going to be training now, unfortunately, yoi," Marco sighed, finally releasing his hold on Ace's hand to bring his own up to his forehead. "With your injury and my preparations, I don't think we'll have the time."

"You have a point," Ace said. "It sucks. I won't be able to keep up like this." He looked down at the rest of his body. Sure, he knew that people had suffered injuries _far worse_ that left them in further states of incapacitation (if you could call Ace's current state incapacitation at all), but he couldn't help but feel useless.

"On the contrary, I think you have skill enough to keep up," Marco countered.

Ace shot him a look of confusion. "Really?"

Marco smiled at him, "Of course, Ace. I think you're natural. In fact, I don't think you need much more of my help."

"What? But we've only been working together for-"

"A month and a half, I know, but you've picked up on things at an incredible pace, yoi. On top of all that, you're powerful- and not just because of your magic," Marco praised. Ace felt like he was dreaming. _The crown prince_ of all people was actually _praising_ him! "I actually wanted to talk to you about something that's kind of related to this."

"Hm?"Ace couldn't deny his curiosity. After all that was going on, what was it that Marco needed to speak to him about?

"There's been a vacancy in commander positions for quite a while now," Marco started. "Things are extremely busy, but I think you have the potential to become the commander of the second division."

Ace swore that, in that moment, his jaw dropped onto his mouth. Aware that he must've looked silly, he closed his mouth. "M-me? But isn't there someone more qualified?"

"Plenty," he said, a rather blunt answer if you asked Ace. "It wouldn't happen, right away of course, and you'll still have to go through all the normal procedures and trials, but we also need someone to stand in the position during ceremonies, so for now it would be unofficial. What do you say, yoi?"

When Ace first came to the castle, he wasn't expecting an opportunity of this magnitude to be within reach, but this wasn't why he was here. Yes, he was here to "assassinate" Marco, though he hadn't done much- nothing at all really- to actually assassinate Marco. He had gotten so caught up in his powers, which had been something new and exciting, something to take his mind off the reality of his situation. It was a tempting offer, but Luffy and Sabo…

He couldn't decide now, and he was much too tired to think.

"I… I don't know, Marco," he admitted, and seeing Marco's expression fall just broke his heart. "I need some time to think about it, but I guess… I guess for now I wouldn't mind standing in if you need someone during the ceremony. I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Thankfully, this response at least seemed to cheer Marco up a little bit. "I see that you're tired though, so I'll explain everything to you later. Rest up. I need to go talk to Pops."

"Will do," Ace said, and after relishing in the feeling of Marco ruffling his hair again, eh was left alone.

More sleep sounded amazing, yet the responsible part of his mind nagged at him to at least read the letter before he slept. Who knows? Maybe it was some good news.

Well, that's what he thought- until he saw the seal: the three-headed dog. Cerberus.

 _You're running out of time._

* * *

 **Marco**

Though Ace hadn't given a definite answer yet, Marco was still excited- though he was trying not to show it too much. He didn't want to appear as childish in front of Ace. Still, his exuberance carried him back to Whitebeard's room, where he was unable to help expressing his emotions.

"He said yes, Pops! Er- sort of," he added, not wanting to say anything too definitive for Ace (even if it _had_ been what he was hoping). "Ace said he would think about it, but for now, he'll stand in unofficially, yoi."

"It's a step forward, son," Whitebeard encouraged, smiling down at him. "Ace is a wonderful addition to this family, and I think you made the right decision."

"Thank you, Pops," Marco said. "He's just been amazing these past few weeks. Being around him has really helped me through some of this."

"Oho?" Whitebeard chuckled, and Marco swore his blood froze. Pops rarely chuckled like that. The last time he remembered that happening was when Izo and Thatch were having trouble with each other, and he knew exactly why he was laughing.

"He's good for you, Marco," Whitebeard said. "That much I can see, and he makes you happy as well."

"I don't feel for him in that way, Pops," Marco easily rejected, but he had a feeling that his father just completely ignored what he said. "I don't even-"

"What? You don't even like men? I may be old and sick, but you can't fool me. I've known for a long time."

Marco flinched, much to his attempts to keep it restrained.

"Relax, Marco. I am not angry, though I would have preferred if you had been honest."

"I wasn't worried about you, Pops." He already knew that his father would've loved him and accepted him no matter what, but he was grown up now, and he felt a little silly having this conversation with him now. Yet the ones he was worried about were….

"The council then," Whitebeard said, and Marco didn't have to confirm it.

"I have a duty, Pops." Marco had always knew what needed to be done, and with the way things were now, he couldn't afford to be selfish. He could never afford to be selfish. "I- I can't be with Ace. I just can't."

Deep inside of him, he knew that Pops was right, and that part of him desperately wished Ace felt the same way. Ace had been his escape, and a wonderful escape he had been. He hadn't even known him for long, but his smiles, his talent to learn, his caring, _everything_ \- Marco couldn't deny that he felt _something._

But his rationality overpowered whatever it was. Even if he _had_ made _that_ promise long ago.

"I know what I need to do Pops. I-I'm going to become king, and then I'll take a queen and rule well, right? The council wouldn't have anything else anyways, yoi. I can do it, Pops. Don't worry about me."

His voice faltered though, and Pops noticed easily. He brought Marco in for a hug, and it was just what he needed.

"I am sorry, my son," Whitebeard comforted. "I know you feel hopeless right now, but I want you to be happy," he said. "I know you'll make the decision that's best for you."

Whitebeard's words had been reassuring, but Marco wasn't sure if he actually believed them.

He returned to his room later, where Ace was already fast asleep.

"I wished there was something I could do, yoi."

* * *

The next day, Marco had resolved himself to act normally, as if nothing had ever happened. Thankfully, Ace hadn't woken up yet, and he hadn't seemed to have realized that this was Marco's room either. Thankfully, Ace hadn't tossed around too much in his sleep, which would have been bad for the wound, but his hair was still messed ever so slightly. Marco couldn't resist smiling at such an adorable sight.

As much as he wanted to let Ace rest, waking him would make an easier time for Agatha. With that in mind, he gently shook Ace's shoulder.

"Wake up, yoi," Marco whispered. "It's time to wake up."

Ace responded quicker than he thought, eyes fluttering open soon after. "Mmm," he groaned sleepily. "What… what are you doing here, Marco?"

"Agatha's going to check up on your injury soon," he answered. "You've been resting for so long too, so I thought you would want to see if you could stand."

Ace's eyes widened. He was certainly awake now after hearing those words. "Really?" He pulled at the covers to free his legs, but Marco held out a hand to stop him.

"Just wait a second, yoi." It was always nice to see Ace so eager. "And you won't be doing too much today, yoi."

"I know, I know. No exercise or strenuous activity and all that, right?" Ace said. "Agatha already told me, but I had a feeling you would too. I just want to know what I can do! I don't want to sit around here all day."

"You're fine with helping me with preparations then, right?" Marco asked. "There's not too much left, but I could use it."

"Sure thing, Marco!"

He was rather relieved when Ace accepted happily. All the preparations for everything going on could get rather boring, and Ace was a restless person. As evidenced when he tried to move once again, and Agatha happened to arrive at that very moment.

"Don't you dare," she scolded, and Ace immediately froze. Marco couldn't contain the grin, but it vanished when Agatha whirled on him. "Are you going to disturb me too, Your Highness?"

"No, yoi."

Thankfully, the checkup didn't take long, though Ace nor Marco dared to breathe a word without Agatha asking- well, except when Agatha gave Ace the go ahead to stand, and he swung his legs over the side of the bed with a cheer. Agatha left in another one of her signature huffs with another reminder to be careful.

"Okay, Marco!" Ace said. "What's first?"

Marco handed him a few papers, a writing tool, and a book to balance everything on. "You're going to be my assistant for today. We're going down to the kitchens. And don't walk too fast."

The first item on their agenda was to finalize the feast menu. Marco knew that some of the guests would inevitably be picky, and letting Thatch know ahead of time of everything that would need to be cooked was best.

When they arrived at the kitchen door though, Thatch shot them a look. "Should you really be bringing him around and about?" he asked Marco.

"Relax, Thatch," Ace answered instead. "Marco wanted me to help, and I wanted to anyways."

"Well, if you say so. Don't wear him out though, Marco."

"Wouldn't dream of it, yoi."

"Alright then. I'll be having that final list for the feast then," Thatch requested.

Ace's eyes lit up- rather adorably if Marco did say so himself. "Feast?"

"Well, we _are_ at the kitchens, yoi. What did you think that we were doing here?" Marco teased. He was able to resist ruffling Ace's hair again too, but the temptation was definitely there. "It should be the first paper there, by the way."

Ace shrugged. "I didn't think too much about it," he said. "Here you go."

To that, Thatch laughed as he took the list, quickly lancing at it. "Didn't expect you to with everything going on, but hey. You're in luck buddy. I'm trying out a recipe for the feast. Wanna taste test?"

Marco really appreciated the way the Ace looked at him for approval, but he hadn't the heart to refuse after hearing how happy Ace had gotten at the mention of food. Besides, they needed some breakfast anyways, and so Marco nodded.

"Absolutely!" Ace responded, turning back to Thatch.

Thankfully, Thatch had already prepared plates of steaming, hot breakfast for them, and the stew he was trying out was delicious.

Their next stop was with Izo to check up on the garments.

"Welcome, you two!" Izo cheered. He was still holding a sewing needle between his slender fingers, and there was a roll of measuring tape slung over his shoulder. It was clear that he had been working hard. "Here for the clothes then?"

"Yep!" Ace said, again, before Marco could answer. "I'm Marco's assistant today, Izo."

"I can see that," Izo noted, yet he couldn't hide the clear affection for him in his voice.

"How're things coming along?" Marco questioned, craning his head subtly to try to see into the room, but no one could be subtle when it came to Izo's work.

"Ah, ah, nosy," Izo scolded. "You'll get to see, so just come on in. I need to check for adjustments on you two anyways."

Marco raised an eyebrow. "Ace too?"

"Izo showed me a while ago," Ace piped with a grin. "He's great."

"Thank you, Ace. Now come inside. We don't have all day."

Once inside, Izo was in his element, pushing Marco behind a divider screen and directing Ace over into the corner. "No peeking!" he added, when Ace tried to crane his neck to see around the partition. "No one's supposed to see yet, and you're no exception, Ace."

"Fine, fine," he sighed, slumping down into one of Izo's plush stools.

"I wouldn't mind, yoi," Marco said.

But Izo just rolled his eyes in response. "Oh please," he scoffed. "And have to watch you two drool over each other? No thanks."

At that, Marco frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Apparently, Izo had nothing to say to that- except a few choice words whispered under his breath. Before Marco could ask again, a pin stuck into his side. "Oi!"

"You're fine!" Izo insisted as Marco's healing flames flickered over the tiny injury for a brief moment.

"Don't do that with Ace."

"Feeling protective, are we?" Izo muttered, as he began to remove Marco's garment. "I'm prepared, Marco. I don't want my hard work to go up in flames after all."

"Hey!"

"I jest, Ace. Now get over here."

As Marco expected, he wasn't allowed to see Ace either, but thankfully, the process was rather quick and they were soon off to their next task.

Marco led Ace to the front of the castle, where any major ceremonies took place. Flora had already arrived waiting for them at the bottom of the steps.

"Hi, Marco! Hi, Ace!" she greeted. "How are you after…?"

"I'll be fine," Ace answered. "Felt worse. Your shop?"

"Repairs have started for the windows, and I'm grateful that I didn't lose too many flowers," she said. "It would be bad if I did at this time since we're going to need a lot for all the ceremonies. Now, there's supposed to be a diagram so I know where seats are?"

"Ace?" Marco looked towards him, looking down at the stack of papers as a hint.

"Oh yeah," Ace said, grinning sheepishly. He leafed through the papers for a second, finally pulling out the diagram Flora had been looking for.

"Perfect!" Flora cheered. "I see you're playing assistant today then. Can you help me with some of the flowers I brought to test out?"

"Sure thing!" Ace accepted, yet as he began to jog over to the horse-drawn cart Flora had brought, Marco stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"No heavy lifting, Ace," he reminded, feeling a bit guilty when Ace pouted.

"I should've known!" Flora exclaimed, bringing a hand to her forehead. "I'm sorry, Ace. I didn't really think about it."

"It's fine." Though he said that, Marco could clearly hear traces of disappointment.

"You can watch my magic though!"

"Sounds like fun!"

Marco would admit that he never tired of seeing Flora's power, colorful flowers sprouting up and mirroring the arrangement that was currently in front of her.

"What do you think of this one?" she inquired after the third arrangement, looking towards Marco for approval. "Obviously I tried to incorporate the kingdom's flower like all of them, and I may need to add more, but so far, I also used morning glories and stargazer lilies."

"I think it looks amazing, yoi" Marco complimented. "As always."

"Stop! You flatter me too much."

"Really. We wouldn't have all this without you, Flora."

She shook her head in defeat, but she was still smiling. "Fine. This one then? Unless you want to try out some more of the others I brought."

"Just in case," Marco suggested.

"Hey, Marco!" Ace called, bending down near some of the flowers. "This one's the national flower then?" He pointed to the taller flowers, which bloomed with multiple flowers seemingly stacked atop each other.

"Yeah," Marco answered. "They're called gladiolus flowers."

"Those symbolize strength of character and integrity," Flora chimed. "Fitting, don't you think?"

Upon receiving strange looks from Marco and Ace, she frowned. "What? I like to do some reading in my spare time, and I'll have you know that flower meanings are, in fact, _interesting!"_

"No one was saying otherwise, Flora," Marco said. "So what else were you thinking of adding?"

"Well-"

"Your Highness."

Marco was naïve to think that he could just waltz around all day with Ace as his assistant; he realized this now. It was hard not to with councilman Sakazuki towering above them. With his scowl and stiff, straight-backed posture, it was clear that he was not pleased. Poor Flora was shaking, and Ace seemed to freeze up.

"What are you doing out here?"

' _I could ask you the same thing,'_ Marco was tempted to say, but he wisely chose against it. He stood up straight and proud, not wanting him to see any weakness. "I'm just overseeing preparations. There is no need for alarm."

His words did not dissuade Sakazuki as he had hoped however. 'And there is no need for you to associate yourself with… _these_ people," he hissed, glaring down at Flora and Ace, neither of which looked pleased at such a comment. "Servants exist for this."

"So I'm _wrong_ for just doing my job, yoi?" Marco countered. "I see the servants as my family, so I won't overwork them. Unlike you."

"Excuse me?" Sakazuki growled. "How unsophisticated. A prince should not speak in such a rude manner."

"You have the nerve to insult my friends and family, and then you call _me_ the rude one?" Marco hissed. He was glad that his control over his magic was airtight, or else he would have been flaring with blue and yellow flames right now. "Get off your high horse, Sakazuki. Just because you're a council member, doesn't mean you can say whatever you want about anyone, yoi."

At first, Marco felt pride swell in his chest that he had found the will to actually talk back like that, but that feeling soon vanished when a smirk grew onto Sakazuki's face.

"Be careful with how you speak about the council, _Your Highness,_ " he sneered. "Talk like that could endanger your throne." With those smug words, he turned and walked back into the castle, Marco seething silently.

He was aware that Sakazuki was here just rile him up, but _gods_ , it had worked. How was he supposed to focus on preparations now?

"Marco?" Ace said, eyes shining with worry. Flora was frowning in concern as well.

At that moment, Marco didn't know what to do. He had _wanted_ to spend some time with Ace and just get things done, but he couldn't find the will to concentrate now.

So he ran.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ace**

After seeing Marco get so angry like that, he knew that the other could use some space for the rest of day. Marco never ran away like that before, and Ace was worried, but he would check up on Marco later.

First he was there to see Flora off as she loaded her flowers into her cart and headed back to her shop. He couldn't help her, and it was a shame that they couldn't see more of the flower arrangements. There was nothing he could do for the rest of the day unfortunately, so he just began to wander around again.

But his mind was kept on Marco the whole time, and lost in thoughts, he bumped into someone.

"Oh," he started, "excu-"

He stopped himself when he saw that the man standing in front of him was the one who had spoken to Marco earlier. Ace couldn't stop the scowl that slipped onto his face.

"A mere soldier would care how they act towards a council member," the man ground out. "Though from what I've heard of you, I don't expect much."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ace seethed, clenching his fists by his sides.

"Nothing for you to understand." The man, Sakazuki, Ace remembered, brushed past him harshly. "The crown prince could have the mind to keep better company than you. Now, come, Coby."

He took long strides as he walked away, leaving his poor servant in the dust. Something about him felt familiar, unsettling.

"How do you all deal with this?" Ace asked. "With him pushing you around all the time?"

Coby, the servant, shook his head. "I-I can't really do much about it," he stuttered. "I didn't want to end up h-here either, but I kinda just ended up here after getting saved from bandits."

"Didn't ask for your life story, kid," Ace said. "But really," he paused to pat him on the back, "grow a pair."

"That's what _he_ told me too."

"Who?" Ace asked.

"Nothing!"

At the swift denial, Ace just shrugged. He didn't care too much either way. "Well, I'm off then! Don't let that jerk push you around anymore!"

He didn't look back after that, jogging towards the kitchens to find Thatch.

"Where would Marco go?" Thatch questioned when Ace arrived and asked his question. "So he ran off then."

"Yeah," Ace sighed. "That big guy, Sakazuki showed up, and Marco got all upset. I've never seen him run away like that."

"It's pretty rare," Thatch agreed, "but those two have always been at odds, and he's a pretty hateable guy. I think we're all just hoping for a 'miracle' to come along, and _conveniently_ put him out of commission."

"Like an assassin?" Ace muttered dryly, but Thatch didn't seem to notice his sarcasm.

"Not likely, unfortunately. Most assassins would care to go after the king or prince rather than the council." Thatch cringed. "I mean, you know that already I guess? Sorry, man. I didn't mean to bring it up."

Ace just waved it off. "It's fine, Thatch. Now, where can I find him?"

"Well, I'd wait until night time, but here's what you do…"

Ace rarely got scared, but he would admit that the library at night was pretty creepy. What once was comforting quietness, was now a suffocating, choking silence. The moonlight didn't illuminate the room nearly as well as the sunlight had. There was a certain beauty to it, he would say, but it was still eerie. Had Marco really come here?

He remembered then the advice that Thatch had given him earlier. Find Marco's favorite book? That shouldn't be a problem. Marco had shown it to him before during one of their sessions in the library, and Ace knew it was in their little alcove. He dashed up the spiral steps and into the side hall, but when he arrived, the area was empty.

He frowned in confusion. Marco should've been here, right?

"Find the book. Find the book," he muttered to himself, stepping towards the shelves.

He summoned his flames, letting out small fireballs to help him see, and thanked Marco for teaching him control. As he searched for the books, the light helped him to read the spines, aiding him in his search. But he couldn't quite remember the title. What was it again?

Suddenly, he saw a flash of gold glint out of the corner of his eyes. He grabbed at it recognizing it immediately. No wonder he couldn't remember the title! There was no title on the book at all, shining edges were still rather distinguishable. Would there be a hint in here that could lead him to Marco?

Well, the next thing that stood out was the red ribbon sticking out of the book. Was this what Thatch was talking about? Ace decided to flip to the page, and there, he found a poem. Some of the phrases were familiar to him. Marco had read bits and pieces of it to him before.

 _Catching Starlight_

 _There's a certain beauty to the sky_

 _That makes me want to look up and breathe in the air,_

 _To spread my wings and fly_

 _And with the world, I would not have a care._

 _A myriad of colors fragment against the clouds_

 _Against a night sky, lights shine, those wonderful stars_

 _I want to touch those stars, but even if I say that aloud_

 _I will never have them. They remain far._

 _Yet I take your hand_

 _And I am free_

 _You take me to faraway lands_

 _I am left to just be_

 _So we can run together_

 _When we'll be back, who knows?_

 _But we'll be catching starlight in the palms of our hands._

 _We'll be catching starlight in the palms of our hands._

Ace finished reciting the words aloud, and a sudden thump caused him to jump back, almost dropping the book of poems, but he stared in awe as one of the shelves suddenly moved backwards, sliding aside to reveal a hidden staircase, a soft light shining down on it. After gaping for a few moments, Ace grinned. Of course there would be a hidden passages! Quickly, he slid Marco's favorite book back into its proper place and dashed up the stairs, the sounds of the stone under his feet echoing in the stairwell.

When Ace had almost reached the top (and it had been a _long_ climb), he was almost startled at how bright it was, which made him squint in confusion, especially when he felt a cool breeze against his skin. Was he outside? But it was night time, wasn't it? He finally exited the stairwell, and he understood.

He had never seen the stars glow so brightly before, and the sight was absolutely breathtaking. The sky above his head was illuminated with twinkling blues and whites, and they seemed to clump together in random places, and swirl in patterns that left Ace mesmerized.

This was a sight he could enjoy forever, he mused, but a voice broke his attention away from the beautiful view.

"You came," Marco said, words an unbelieving whisper. He was sitting down on the hard stone beneath them, arms curled around his knees.

"You thought that I wouldn't?" Ace said back, voice still quiet as well. He remained silent as he walked over to Marco taking a seat beside him. "I needed to know you were okay."

Marco stared at him for a moment, but soon turned his gaze back to the stars. "Thank you, yoi."

"You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to," Ace added, "but I'm here for you. I'll listen."

Marco nodded but still kept his gaze on the bright stars. Ace didn't blame him. The sight was one that made him feel absolute contentment inside.

"It's hard," Marco finally spoke after a long period of comfortable silence.

"The coronation?"

"Everything." He sighed. "I'm not ready, yoi."

"No one expects you to be," Ace reassured, but Marco shook his head.

"Everyone does!" he yelled in a sudden bout of frustration. "The council, my brothers, the entire kingdom is looking to me now! So then _why_? Why don't I feel ready?"

For a moment, Ace wasn't sure what to do, surprised by Marco's outburst, but eventually, he reached over, resting his arms across Marco's back. "It's okay not to feel ready," he comforted.

"Easy for you to say," Marco practically growled, but his eye widened soon after, seemingly realizing his rude words. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," he apologized.

Ace shrugged. "Really, it's fine Marco. You're frustrated right now, so just let it out."

"I… I don't know what else to say."

"Don't think about it then!" Ace suggested. "Just shout it to the world!"

Marco raised an eyebrow at him. "You want me to shout, yoi?"

Sensing Marco's skepticism, Ace grinned at him and stood up, taking his hand, tugging him towards the edge. "Come here and let me show you!"

There they stood, hands resting against the edge of the tower. "Now what?" Marco asked.

"We yell," Ace answered simply. He inhaled, for a second desperately wanting to scream his truth: about how he never wanted to assassinate Marco, about how he wish he had more power to help his brothers, and about his feelings for Marco, but this wasn't about him right now. It was about Marco. He would start with the little things.

"I'm Portgas D. Ace, and I wish I didn't fall asleep all the damn time!"

His voice echoed across the castle grounds before fading into the night. He turned to Marco. "Now you try."

Marco was still frowning, hesitant to comply, but Ace's eager stare convinced him. "I'm Prince Marco Newgate, and I'm not ready!"

A laugh bubbled out of Ace, his pride in Marco shining through. "Good! You're getting it! My turn."

"I wish Agatha wouldn't yell at me all the time!"

"I wish I could fire those stuffy, old council members!"

"I miss my brothers!"

"If Pops never got sick, I wouldn't be like this!"

They continued yelling out, Ace listening to each and every one of Marco's frustrations, no matter how small or large they were. He didn't question Marco about any of it- there would be time for that later- but asking would only bring stress back to Marco, which was the last thing he wanted.

When they finished, they lay back down on the ground, panting and out of breath.

"See… Marco?" Ace said. "Just let it all out. Let us know, all of us, and we can support you."

"Do you really mean that?"

"With all my heart."

Finally, a smile, albeit a small one, broke out onto Marco's face. "I can't ever repay you for this, you know, yoi."

Ace snorted. "What are you talking about? It's something any of us would do."

"Maybe you're right, but I still appreciate it very much," he admitted. He paused, reaching out. "Come here for a second?"

Though confused, Ace crawled over to him anyways, gasping when Marco suddenly pulled him close. "What…?"

"Let's just rest for now, yoi" Marco said. "You're warm."

Ace knew this was wrong, that he shouldn't be in such a compromising position with Marco, but at the same time, he also knew that no one could find them here. So he was left speechless, unable to protest. "Okay," he muttered, pressing himself more into Marco's embrace.

And so, they relished in each other's presence, falling asleep under the gorgeous stars illuminating the sky.

* * *

After the night up on the tower, Ace had continued to help Marco with preparations, and as his wound healed, he was able to do even more too. Yet worry still swum around in his mind about everything, especially that letter from Cerberus.

Maybe he was a hypocrite when telling Marco that he could just lay the burden on him too when there were secrets that he himself was keeping, but there wasn't much Ace could do to remedy his situation, and telling anyone- even if they would help and support him- might make things worse.

He could only imagine how big of a traitor he would look like, and it didn't help that Marco wanted to promote him.

In fact, that's what Marco was lecturing him on now, though he was barely keeping track. Something about the test he would have to take, the qualifications, the men he would be leading, having to dance in the upcoming ball- wait.

There was nothing Ace could do besides stare blankly when Marco finished his words. Sure, he knew that they were going to be hosting a ball, but he didn't know that he was expected to dance! Like, and actual ballroom dance! Maybe he should've thought this whole "promotion" thing through- but how was he supposed to know about that part!

"You'll have to formally dance at least once, yoi," Marco informed. "It's been a tradition for the commanders to participate. I know you haven't been formally promoted yet, and there won't be any time to do so until everything has calmed down, but it would be most convenient this way."

Ace bit his lip, unsure of how to respond. He could already imagine what a disaster this would be. No doubt he would end up stepping on his partner's feet and stumbling over their long skirt. And what if he fell asleep while they were dancing?!

As he tried to come up with a desperate excuse as to why he shouldn't dance at the ball, Marco reached over and touched his shoulder gently. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

Ace sighed. Well, he might as well come clean with it. "Marco," he started, "I can't dance."

Gods! He must've looked so stupid, so inexperienced! Before Marco could laugh at him, he continued in a hurried babble. "I'll probably trip everywhere or fall asleep or something, so-"

Marco suddenly cut him off by pressing a finger to his lips. Ace tried hard not to blush. "I know already, Ace."

"Oh." Now Ace felt really silly. Of course Marco would know that he couldn't dance. It's not as if he was a noble, and he was from a small village, so it's not as if people like him were expected to learn.

But Marco didn't laugh or make fun of him. Instead, he smiled, filling Ace with encouragement.

"Here," Marco said, holding his arms out, and leaving Ace staring in confusion, but he stepped forward anyways, almost pulling back in hesitation. "Place your hand on my shoulder, yoi."

Ace complied, but he gasped when he felt Marco's hand on his lower back and intertwined his left hand with Ace's right. "Wh-Wha-?"

"I'll lead for now if you don't mind," Marco interrupted. "So you can get a hang of the steps."

But Ace was still trying to process the situation, and it was hard to do so in this position. "What is this, Marco?" he finally brought out.

"I'm teaching you how to dance," Marco answered as if it were clear from the beginning.

"But there's no music, and what if someone sees us?"

"You don't need music to dance, Ace, and no one is going to make fun of you if they find us here."

' _That's not what I was worried about,"_ Ace thought dryly, but bringing up a new reason would probably just sound like an excuse at this point.

"Where's that eagerness you've shown me so much of, Ace?"

The expectant look Marco was giving him made Ace feel a little guilty. It's not as if he didn't want to dance with Marco. Rather, he _only_ wanted to dance with Marco, and he didn't mind the touch at all. But if someone caught them…

"Alright," he said, replacing his vacant confusion with a smile of acceptance.

"It won't be so bad," Marco reassured. "I'll be gentle with you."

Ace didn't know whether he should have laughed or screamed at that little line of his, but it would be much too awkward to tell Marco to be more careful with his word choice.

"Now," Marco started, securing his grip around Ace, "we'll be dancing to a waltz at the ball, so we'll be counting in three beats. If you internalize this rhythm, it will help your steps tremendously."

Ace didn't know much about music either, but he began to count in a steady "one, two, three" over and over, eventually quieting down since the beat kept going mentally.

"Good," Marco complimented. "I'll teach you the steps, so learning the order later will be easier. Understand?"

Ace nodded.

"I want you to mirror my movements, Ace. Step back with your right foot, then across with your left, and finish by bringing your feet together."

The instructions were basic and few enough for Ace to remember. He just hoped he wouldn't stumble over his own feet.

Yet he did not stumble like he was expecting to. It was surprisingly easy, especially with Marco leading him. He didn't push Ace around or force him, but rather, he pulled him in the right directions ever so slightly, letting Ace's footsteps flow in the right direction. They repeated the steps, and moved into new ones. Their movements paused a few times when Ace happened to mess up or when Marco was instructing him on new steps, but they picked it back up soon after, following the perfect "one, two, three," count inside Ace's mind.

Over time, Marco's instructions and their surroundings seemed to melt away around them, and a melody began to form in his head; one that was distant, yet familiar. It was strange. He couldn't recall ever hearing a waltz in his life, but the beautiful notes he heard fit their movements perfectly.

Part of him knew that he was in a plain and stony room wearing his normal clothes that were sweaty from training and dancing, but he found himself wishing that this was real, that they were actually at the ball.

It was a wonderful fantasy. Ace would be wearing the garb that Izo had given to him, and Marco would be decked out in the royal colors, and they would look quite flattering on him too. He would join their gloved hands- Ace desiring to take them off so he could feel Marco's warm caress.

They would glide effortlessly across the grand ballroom floor and the twinkling lights illuminated them as the center of attention. People would stare in envy when they looked upon them, wondering why the prince chose him to be his partner. They turned and spun, movements matching each other perfectly, their bodies moving together as if they were made for each other.

If this was what the ball would be like, then Ace was sure that he didn't mind dancing _once_ at least.

Ace couldn't deny it anymore, but he had known for a while now- ever since he had jumped in front of that attack for Marco. Perhaps his subconscious knew before he did because it was really just illogical to him. He was supposed to assassinate Marco, yet he had never made any move to. He had just gotten so caught up in everything that it had been the last thing on his mind.

Maybe it wasn't all that bad. Maybe he could tell Marco the truth when he confessed, and get help from the rest of the family. The New Edwards army was strong, and Cerberus didn't even stand a chance, right? They would be able to get protection for Luffy and Sabo, and they could just live together happily like this, right?

Ace bit his lip, lost in thought. But if it didn't work…

"What's wrong, yoi?" Marco asked concernedly, stopping their movements.

Ace had decided. He would tell Marco.

"Marco, I-"

"Marco!" Izo called suddenly, and the two jumped apart. "Robin's here!"

"Really?" Ace was surprised with how Marco suddenly smiled as his eyes lit up. Something painful stirred in him for a second. "I should go and greet her. Sorry, Ace. We'll talk later, okay?"

Marco was gone, and so had Ace's resolve. "Who… who's Robin?"

"Oh," Izo hummed casually, "she's the Oharan princess. Marco's fiancée. Why do you… ask?" His words slowed when he saw Ace devastated eyes and quivering lips. "Oh, honey…" he breathed as he pulled Ace into a comforting hug. "I'm so sorry."

It seemed that Izo figured it out easily, but the one person that needed to know, didn't know, and now, Ace would never get the chance to tell him.

* * *

 **Marco**

He should've warned everyone that the princess's arrival would be rather loud this time. While she was a calm person, the friends she had made most recently certainly were not, but they were welcome here as her friends.

The leader of their happy little bunch bounced out first. "Yo! Pineapple guy!" he screamed, and while Marco was annoyed at the nickname, he found it rather amusing how the normally stoic guards gaped.

"Luffy!" the next one, Nami, hissed as she stepped out of one of the carriages. "You can't just call him that! How many times have I had to tell you that?"

"Oh sorry." Luffy bowed quickly. "Hi, Pineapple guy, sir."

"I'm sorry, Marco," Nami groaned.

"It's an improvement at least," Usopp pointed out as he climbed out. He turned back in for a moment. "Hey, wake up in there!"

The rest of them continued to banter as they exited their carriages, but Marco turned his attention to the one in the front and he walked up to it. As the door opened, he held out a hand.

"Always the gentleman, aren't you?" Robin commented, though she took the offered hand nonetheless to help herself down.

"If that's what you want to call it, yoi," Marco said. "Be glad the council isn't here. They would want me to kiss your hand and sweep you off your feet."

"I'll hope that we don't run into them anytime soon then."

"Too hopeful, unfortunately, with the wedding and coronation coming up so soon."

"I suppose you're right," Robin sighed. "I'm thinking Luffy and the others can keep them away for the time being."

"Good idea," Marco agreed. "They can't threaten them either since they're guests. I'll enjoy seeing Sakazuki explode- well, not literally of course."

"True, that wouldn't be good."

"That's nice, you two," someone else chimed, walking up to them from one of the other carriages, "but I think we should move inside soon. We need to get settled down today."

"Fine, Sabo. Though I do agree," Marco said. It was easy for them to agree on most things, yet he still thought that Koala was the more sensible one out of Robin's personal retainers. "Nice to see you. Where's Koala?"

Sabo frowned, gesturing down the path. "She's in the carriage with the Oharan council."

"Ouch. I'll make sure to give you guys a room far away from them."

At that, Sabo smiled at Marco in relief. "That'd be great, thanks."

"Sabo!" Luffy whined. "Let's go in already! I'm hungry!" Before anyone could stop him, he bounded through the open doors of the castle.

"Wait, Luffy!" Sabo called, running after him. "You don't know where you're going."

"Oh dear," Robin said, though she didn't sound too concerned.

"I'll have someone show them to the kitchens later. So do you want to go to your room now?"

"No," she denied. "I think it would be nice to go to the library. It feels so long since I've been here."

"Of course. I'm sure the others will be glad to see you too, yoi." He began to lead the way toward the library. "It'll be nice to have a chat just the two of us. I have a lot that I want to tell you about. We got a new recruit, you know."

Robin seemed intrigued at this remark. "Is that so? You've never told me about any of the new recruits before."

It was true that he hadn't, but none of the recruits had ever had as much talent as Ace, or they weren't nearly as interesting. Robin was one of his best friends, and now that he was seeing her again after a few months, it was hard not to spill out everything about him on the spot. "He's great, really," Marco started. "He's got so much talent, and he's got an amazing drive to learn- and he has this really beautiful smile too, yoi."

"Does he now?"

"I'll definitely bring him to meet you later. I think you'll like him." He turned to see what Robin's reaction was, and he realized something: Robin was _smirking_ at him. "What is it?"

"Oh nothing," she hummed, striding past him. "I've never seen you like this before, but you can't hide it from me."

"What do you mean?" Marco gulped. There was no way… right?

"You're in love with this man. That much is clear," Robin answered as if it were almost _too_ obvious.

Of course it was to her. Why did he expect otherwise when Robin was one of the most perceptive people he's ever known? He was just glad that they were alone- and that Izo wasn't here too (but Marco had a feeling that he _too_ already figured it out).

But even if she knew- since they were engaged and all- things weren't as simple as anyone would've liked, really. "I feel as if you should've told me sooner," Robin said.

"I… I only realized it recently, yoi," Marco admitted quietly. "But you know I can't do anything about it. We're getting married soon, Robin."

"I'm aware of that fact, Marco," Robin said, "but are you _aware_ of the promise we made when we were younger?"

Marco grimaced. He _did_ remember the promise, but with Whitebeard's sickness and the coronation, he deemed it as less important.

"I just want you to be happy," Robin continued, words ripe with disappointment. "And you wanted me to be happy too. That's why we said that we would tell each other if we fell in love with someone else."

"I know, Robin!" Marco yelled, but he suddenly realized what he had done, and dropped his voice low again. "It's too late now though. And besides, it's not as if he would return my feelings anyways." The last part was said quietly. "I'm sure Ace only sees me as the one helping him train."

"So his name is Ace then? Well, first of all, you don't actually know that Ace likes you back or not," Robin pointed out.

"Yes, but-"

"Exactly," she interrupted, not giving Marco any time to finish his thought. "I didn't think you were a coward."

"Excuse me," Marco grumbled, posture sinking a bit at the insult. "How am I a coward?"

"You're not then? Then you should be willing to prove it by asking this Ace how he actually feels."

Marco felt his eye twitch ever so slightly. Robin had led him right into that one, he thought, and she _knew_ that he wouldn't back down from it. "Manipulative."

"I wouldn't be your friend if I wasn't," Robin teased.

"How ladylike," Marco joked, laughing when Robin smacked his arm lightly.

Unexpectedly, someone cleared their throat, and Marco realized that they were no longer alone. Sakazuki's servant, Coby, was standing in the middle of the hall. "What is it?" Marco asked.

"U-um!" Coby stuttered. "I-I have an urgent message to deliver to you!"

"Alright then. Go ahead and tell us, yoi."

"Well, y-you see…" When Coby revealed to him what the message was, Marco's eyes widened instantly.

"What do you mean they moved up the wedding?"

* * *

 **Ace**

Ace was at a loss. Fate was so cruel like that having Marco's _fiancée_ arrive right as he planned to confess. Why had Marco- or anyone for that matter- told him that there was to be a wedding as well as a coronation? Maybe he was the fool. Of course, Marco would be getting married. He needed a queen to rule beside him- not _Ace_. How could he ever think that it would work.

"It's not like Marco would ever like me back," Ace chuckled bitterly to himself. He was probably just like a brother to Marco.

And so, Ace found himself lulling over the options- not that he had much of a choice anymore, really. He _had_ to assassinate Marco to protect his brothers, especially after Cerberus had sent him that threat.

At the same time, he _couldn't_ do that. He had already accepted his feelings for Marco, so how could he try to kill him now? Gods, his head hurt trying to think about all of it.

Ace was only sure about one thing right now. He needed to go to his brothers and get them to safety. If any of his feelings for Marco remained when this was all done… well, it wouldn't matter anymore, would it?

He needed to move quickly and in secret, which mean that he would be leaving _tonight_.

Part of Ace didn't want to leave. He loved it here: learning new things, hanging out with everyone in the castle, being with Marco- it was all just so wonderful. Yet he _knew_ that if he waited too long to say goodbyes, or if he hesitated, then Luffy and Sabo would face the consequences.

He wasn't so cruel as to leave without any word though. A letter would suffice.

Writing frantically, Ace poured everything he could into that letter: how much he enjoyed his time here, and the _truth_ \- all of it- yet he couldn't bring himself to mention his feelings towards Marco. Maybe when they all came after him and threatened to execute him he could- though that was the worst case scenario.

Clutching the letter tightly to his chest, he gathered his belongings and tossed the hood Izo had given him over his head. There was still one last stop to make; someone needed to be trusted with this letter.

For some reason, it wasn't Thatch, Haruta, Teach, or Izo who first came to mind. Ace actually found himself standing in front of the infirmary doors, knocking hesitantly. Agatha appeared in the doorway, just as he had expected.

"What are you doing here, brat?" she grumbled. There were bags under her eyes, but she seemed to become more aware of his appearance. "Why are you-"

"There's no time for me to explain," Ace interrupted, pushing his way into the room. "Can I trust you with something?"

Agatha didn't respond, but that didn't mean disapproval either. Ace handed her the letter. "Please," he begged in a whisper. "Give this to Marco for me."

Taking it, she stared at it for a few moments. "Why can't you just give it to him yourself?"

"I just _can't_ ," Ace insisted. "Please believe me."

"Only if you tell me the truth," Agatha demanded. "Tell me why you came here in the first place."

Ace didn't hesitate. He needed to leave as soon as possible, and what did he have to lose at this point? Thankfully, he was closest to the door if things went south. "I was blackmailed into coming here to assassinate Marco," he said, "but I can't bring myself to do it. I needed to leave to protect my brothers."

Agatha's wrinkled face remained unchanged at these words. She didn't seem surprised in the slightest. "I figured it would be something like that," she sighed.

"You're not mad?"

"No. I just think you're a fool. Now go, brat. I won't tell anyone."

He swiftly thanked Agatha and dashed out the hall, trying to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible. Thankfully, it was dark too, so if any happened to be in the hall, there was no way they would be able to tell it was him.

It would be too obvious to exit the front entrance, so Ace ran through one of the side fields, heading for the surrounding forest. He would make his escape from there. Yet just as he reached the trees, he found himself turning around, looking one last time at what could have been.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered. He started back on his path again, but as he took a step forward, he bumped into something- no- _someone._

"Teach?!" he exclaimed, scrambling backwards. Agatha had said that she wouldn't tell anyone! "What are you doing out here?"

Teach grinned, but it wasn't the friendly one Ace had grown accustomed to. It was menacing, unkind. "I'm afraid I can't let you leave yet, Ace."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Dark energy began to swirl around Teach's arms and hands, and that's when Ace realized something: this was the inside man.

 _Teach worked for Cerberus_.

Before Ace could put up a fight- because he _did_ _not_ flee- he became enveloped in Teach's magic, and the last thing he heard as he slipped into unconsciousness was the warped laugh of a traitor.


	7. Chapter 7

**Marco**

Marco would have been lying if he denied being frustrated, especially when he was one of the _last_ ones to know, which was absolutely ridiculous. The council had already informed the guests so they would arrive on time, of course, but they probably knew that Marco would protest if he had found out beforehand. It was just like those slimy bastards to pull something like this.

He and Robin didn't get to go to the library like they had originally planned. Instead, they had hastily been pushed into a wedding rehearsal, and everything was meticulously practiced until they recited all their words perfectly. There would be no need for such a fuss if they hadn't moved the wedding, Marco wanted to point out, but it was too late now. That didn't change the fact that he blamed the council. They were supposed to have a week, but now that had been cut down to _two days_ and the first one was over in the blink of an eye.

Preparations were all crammed into the second day, and this is when Marco began to get increasingly worried. He had already "accepted" Robin's challenge to ask Ace about his feelings, but with the time crunch, there was no way that was happening now. He hadn't even the time to see Ace at all really as he- along with Robin- was whirled all around the castle to oversee the menu for the wedding feast, finalize the flowers and clothing measurements, greet the guests… He had collapsed from exhaustion by the time the day was done, though he couldn't say that he got much sleep.

Marco woke up halfway through the night, the weight of everything finally hitting him.

He wasn't ready to get married! Especially after he had resolved himself to at least say something about his feelings towards Ace. A week would have been perfect for him to figure things out, but now he was awake, and he was getting married _today_.

Part of his mind screamed at him that he could just reject Robin at the altar and thankfully, she wouldn't mind, but he knew how both of their councils would take that decision, especially at this point in time. Robin's council especially, with the head council member Spandam, would definitely take it as a sign of ill will, or maybe even a declaration of war. Sakazuki would probably do anything to yank the throne out from underneath him and his whole family. Honestly, they both had terrible councils, and it had been one of their many topics of discussion in the past- they also complained about it to each other when they found out the date had been switched.

He tried thinking of a solution in the few hours he had left- even considered going down to the barracks right now to tell Ace, but something kept him back, and before he knew it the sun had risen, and his feelings for Ace were still bottled inside.

A quiet knock sounded on his door, and Izo entered, carrying Marco's wedding clothes. "Marco? It's time to get ready," he said, but he gasped when he saw Marco's state, gray bags under his eyes. "What happened?"

"Couldn't sleep, yoi," Marco muttered. "I… I just don't know what to do."

He was thankful when Izo brought him in for a warm and comforting hug. "Gods, I wish there's something I could do."

The two were quiet for a few moments as Izo pat Marco's back gently when a sudden thought struck Marco. It was now or never.

He pulled away. "Izo," he started, "There _is_ something you can do for me right now."

Izo nodded in acceptance. "Of course. What is it?"

"I want you to bring Ace here. Can you do that for me?"

When Izo frowned hesitantly, Marco's heart sunk. "Marco, I want to, but you really need to get ready."

" _Please,"_ Marco begged, bowing his head down, "I need to see him."

Thankfully, Izo sighed in defeat, giving into Marco's words. "Alright, Marco- just because you _know_ I want you to be happy, right? I'll send Sabo over to help you prepare if that's fine. Thatch is busy with preparations."

He was barely able to crack a small smile. "That would be great, thanks."

Knowing that he would see Ace before the wedding was a relief at least, but he would have to think of the right words to say. He ran his hands through his hair, running over different scenarios in his mind.

Best case scenario was that Ace would return his feelings, but he highly doubted that, and besides, there wasn't much he would be able to do from that point on. Ace could reject him, and while Marco's heart panged at that thought, he would be able to live with the reassurance that he could carry out his duty, and that Ace would be happy.

Gods, everything hurt right now.

"Izo wasn't kidding. You look terrible," Sabo commented when he entered the room.

"Thanks," Marco groaned. He would've made a note to have some words with Izo about that later, but it wasn't a lie. "I'll just have to grin and bear it though, yoi."

"Does this have anything to do with why Izo sent me?" Sabo asked. He unfolded the top, holding it open for Marco to slip his arms through.

"There's someone I needed to see," Marco admitted, "and I'll probably just stress even more if I don't, yoi."

Sabo patted him on the back sympathetically. "It'd be hard _not_ to be stressed right now. A good pep talk with the right person will be good for you."

Marco didn't exactly have a pep talk in mind, but close enough. "Is that how you get stress of your mind?" he asked trying to make small talk. He was hoping that it would calm his nerves before Ace and the wedding, and well… everything really.

"Not really, but I know it works." Sabo shrugged. "I usually write things down," he said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a journal after he had handed Marco the pants. "My brother actually sent me this new one recently."

"That's not actually a bad idea, yoi." Marco stored the idea away for future use. "Luffy gave that to you?"

"No, actually," Sabo said. "We both have an older brother. Haven't we ever told you about him?"

"You haven't. What's his name?" Marco answered. He adjusted all his clothing, taking one last look at himself in the mirror as Marco pinned the grand, red cape over his shoulders. A small crown would be placed upon his head later so the ensemble was not complete yet, but besides that, he looked ready- not that he felt the same way.

"His name-"

The door slammed open. "Marco, I couldn't find him!" Izo exclaimed, panting out breaths.

Marco whirled towards him, his heart racing. "What do you mean that you couldn't find him?"

"He wasn't in the barracks or the training yard or the library! And I kept asking around, but the only person that could tell me was Agatha!"

"And what did she say?"

"She gave me this-"

A bell rang suddenly, cutting off Izo's words. Marco knew what that meant. They all did.

"No," Marco whispered. "No, no… I can't. I need to see Ace!"

"Wait. Did you say-"

"Your Highness."

Izo was shoved out of the doorway, rather rudely he might add. Sakazuki had come.

"I was wondering why you haven't come down yet," he grumbled in his low voice. He seized Marco's wrist. "Come now. There's no time to waste. Your father doesn't have much time after all. He needs to get to bed."

Marco growled under his breath. Did he really have to bring that up?

He was helpless as he was dragged towards the altar. Ace would never know, and from what Izo was saying, Marco would never know how Ace felt either.

* * *

 **Ace**

Ace felt shivers all over his body when he awoke, which was strange. Ever since acquiring his powers, he hadn't felt cold, and it didn't help that there was a breeze. Slowly, he opened his eyes only to find that his world was turned on its side. He tried to move, but his arms were restrained. His power must have been suppressed too.

A loud click sounded, and Ace felt something cold press against his neck. "Don't even try anything."

He turned his glare to Teach, who was lounging against the nearby stone wall. Staying silent, he tried to examine his surroundings. It seemed they were atop one of the towers, but he recognized the stairs in the corner. This was Marco's tower.

"Wh…" he paused to cough, as his throat felt a bit dry. "What did you do to me?"

A sinking feeling grew in his stomach when Teach grinned at him again, gaps in his teeth showing. He cried out when he was suddenly grabbed by the hair and forced to stand up, but he wisely quieted when the barrel of the pistol pressed into his flesh harder. Teach forced his head to look towards the ground. There, he saw that many people were gathered around the front of the castle. Thankfully, they were up high so the crowd wasn't paying any attention to them, but why were they…?

It was then he saw who they were all looking at. They were far from the ground, but he recognized that head of hair anywhere. "Marco…" he whispered.

"Listen here, Ace," Teach said, yanking him away from the edge violently. "See that? Your precious prince is about to get married."

Married?! How long had he been unconscious? More importantly: "How did you know that I-"

"Oh, please," Teach scoffed. "You're too obvious when making heart eyes at him. Cerberus isn't too pleased about that either."

"To hell with Cerberus!" Ace growled, earning another hard tug on his hair.

"Do you think you can say that when you haven't even made _one_ assassination attempt? We sent you here to do a _job_ and all you do is train. We set things up so nicely for you when you took Marco into town too."

How did they even hear about that? He and Marco were alone when they made those plans!

"Bastard. What did you even expect me to do? Between training and carrying my weight around the castle, I didn't have time to think about any stupid assassination attempts!"

Teach must not have liked the back talk because he threw Ace onto the ground, Ace grunting when his spine hit something. He rolled over to get a look at what it was, only to discover that there was a rifle lying on the ground next to him.

"What is this?" he asked.

" _This,_ " Teach started, picking up the rifle, "will be your assassination attempt."

Ace snorted. "Can't do much assassinating with my hands cuffed like this."

"I'm not stupid enough to free you," Teach countered. "Here's the story: You precious Marco is about to marry the Oharan princess to unite the two kingdoms when suddenly, bam!" he yelled out the final part. "A shot is 'fired' by Portgas D. Ace, who was actually attempting to sabotage this union, and the throne itself!"

"You wouldn't _dare._ "

Teach ignored Ace, continuing his ramblings. "Then _I,_ so graciously, will come down, the traitor apprehended. Zehaha!" he laughed. "Just wait until you see how everyone reacts when they find out the _truth_!"

"You won't be telling them the truth! All you'll be doing is feeding them more _damn_ lies!"

"But who will they believe, hm?" Teach hummed. "The man who's been part of the family for years, or some wet-behind-the-ears kid?"

' _I'm not a kid,'_ he wanted to argue, but he knew that Teach had a point. Though he had befriended most everyone, he didn't have as much credibility with them as Teach did.

Teach's grin grew wider when he realized that Ace had no response. "Exactly."

With that, he turned away from Ace, readying the rifle by poising it over the wall. All Ace could do was close his eyes, and he _hated_ that hat was the only thing he could do in the moment. He had never felt so useless, so powerless, and now they were all going to hate him.

He heard another cock of a gun and…

"Don't you even think about pulling that trigger," a familiar voice hissed.

Ace's eyes shot open, almost not believing what had just happened. "Izo!" he cheered, but then Teach's pistol was shoved against him again.

"How- why are you here?" Teach cried. "You're supposed to be down at the wedding!"

Indeed, Izo was decked out in an elaborate gown. Ace wondered how he made it up here with all those stairs.

"I figured something was off when I couldn't find Ace…"

* * *

 _Izo had already gotten dressed after Marco had been taken away and it was almost time for the ceremony. As one of Marco's brothers, it was important that he attend, yet something didn't quite sit right with him. How could Ace just vanish like that only leaving a letter?_

" _The letter!" Izo gasped to himself. Marco hadn't been able to take it, and right now, his mind needed answers, though he would have to read quickly._

 _ **Dear Marco,**_

 _ **What would you be willing to do to protect the ones you love? I didn't mean for it to be a threat, so if it sounds like one, I apologize. It's just something that I have to know, though I suppose it's not as if you're going to give me an answer.**_

 _ **I've been hiding the truth from you, and I don't want to lie anymore. So much has happened over these past few months. I feel blessed to have met you and everyone else too. You must think I'm a traitor now, and you're right.**_

 _ **I am here for myself, and at the same time, I am not. I wanted to train with you Marco, but I did not come here of my own accord. When I acquired my powers, I was captured by the assassin group Cerberus. They were the ones that sent me here, and they wanted me to kill you, Marco. Cerberus threatened my family if I didn't, so I was to go under the ruse of your new student.**_

 _ **But it was real, I promise. I really did love training with you and helping you. I also liked getting to know everyone. If circumstances were different…**_

 _ **Anyways, it's because of this that I have to leave. I just can't kill you, hurt you- I don't want to. I need to find my brothers as quickly as I can before Cerberus hears about this and gets their hands on them.**_

 _ **I know you may never believe me and that I may be forever branded a traitor against the kingdom of New Edwards, but I've grown fond of this place, and I'll miss you all.**_

 _ **I'm sorry,**_

 _ **Portgas D. Ace**_

 _After reading the contents of the letter, Izo was absolutely speechless. So Ace really_ _ **was**_ _gone? But he could've sworn that he felt his presence in the castle yesterday. Something really wasn't right._

" _Think, Izo. Think," he muttered to himself. Had anything seemed out of place? "That's it!"_

" _Izo?" Thatch called, stepping into the room. He smiled, walking over to kiss Izo on the cheek. "You look beautiful."_

" _Not now, Thatch." He felt a tad guilty at dismissing the affections, but there was something he needed to do. "Can you cover for me?"_

 _Thatch raised an eyebrow at him. "Why? Shouldn't we get going?"_

" _There's something I need to check on," Izo said. "I just have a bad feeling."_

 _Thatch still looked hesitant, so he pulled him into a hug. "Stay safe, okay? Just in case."_

" _I'll be fine, you big oaf."_

 _He made sure that he had a loaded pistol with him, and he clutched the skirt of his dress, taking off down the hall towards the library. He had a sneaking suspicion that he had seen_ _ **something**_ _there._

 _And he was right. The book of poems was out of place. "Gotcha!"_

* * *

"I admit that you almost got us, but you really should've put the book back properly," Izo said, smirking. "Now let Ace go."

"I can't do that," Teach shot. "You're not the only one with the gun."

Ace could hear his blood rushing through his head right now. While Izo had come to save him- and now he would have a chance to explain himself- they were both still in danger, and one wrong move could mean both their deaths.

"Really, Teach?" Izo continued. "You _know_ that they'll believe me over you."

For a moment, the roof fell silent, and all Ace heard was the distant chatter of the crowd below, but suddenly, Teach said, "Not if you're dead!" He whipped his pistol towards Izo.

"No!" Ace yelled.

But much to his relief, Izo was a faster shot. Teach's pistol flew out of his hand, and he desperately sprawled to the floor to retrieve it.

Silence fell again, as Izo pointed his pistol at Teach again. Relief washed over Ace now that he was no longer in danger.

"Thanks, Izo," he sighed. He was about to take a step forward towards his savior when Teach started babbling again.

"You think this is over?" he questioned, and Ace was unnerved when he realized that his grin was still there.

"Wh-what?"

"Cerberus will still go after your brothers, and I promise you, we'll deliver you their heads!"

"Shut up, you!" Izo growled, but Teach didn't listen.

"And you know, you're still a traitor to the kingdom," he pointed out. "You were sent here by Cerberus and you'll be put on trial. How do you think that will go?"

As much as Ace hated to admit it, Teach had a point. Though he had saved Marco from that attack, he hadn't done much other than that to prove his loyalty to the kingdom- and _that_ would not look good to whoever was judging him.

"And we _know_ who you really are."

At those words, Ace felt his body go cold. He knew that Teach wasn't kidding because he wouldn't have said it if he didn't know the truth. But how? How could they know about his father?

His brothers… His identity… How could this have happened?

There must've been something he could do to escape this.

Izo hesitated a bit, eyes boring into Teach. "What are you talking about?"

Meanwhile, Ace turned around, studying his surroundings. What to do... Marco said something to him once. What was it?

That was it.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Teach chuckled darkly. "But Cerberus will win! Cerberus can take this country! Just wat-"

"You can't!" Ace yelled out, interrupting him and trying to keep his legs from shaking.

Izo's eyes widened upon seeing Ace's position. "What the hell are you doing?"

Ace was standing on the edge of the wall, ready to fall backwards.

And even Teach didn't seemed pleased. Probably because Cerberus would be losing their source of blackmail, but _now_ Ace had the power to control the situation. "Get away from there!"

In spite, Ace took another step backwards. Teach grabbed out as if clutching the air would save the situation. "What, Teach? Scared?" Ace challenged. "If I'm not here anymore, then you have nothing on me! You'd have no reason to hurt my brothers, and now that Izo knows the truth, Cerberus has no chance!"

"You son of a bitch!"

"Ace," Izo said, carefully reaching out a hand as if to coax him down. His other hand still gripped his pistol, keeping Teach in his place. "Please rethink this. There has to be another way!"

One more step back…

Ace smiled, looking up at the sky. "The sky is so beautiful," he whispered to himself. If only it was night, and if only Marco was beside him.

"Don't worry, Izo," he reassured. "This will all work out."

"How can you say that?"

But Ace didn't answer. Instead, he leaned back…

"NO!"

* * *

 **Marco**

Marco was still a bundle of nerves when he was standing at the in front of the priest, Robin looking at him in concern. He _wasn't_ ready and he just could not focus. He barely heard the words being recited, and words left his lips naturally, without much meaning. There was a numbness in his body, and he had a feeling he would be leaving the wedding with this same numbness.

All eyes were on him, yet he wanted to say no. He wanted something that he would never have, so all he could do was carry out what he was meant to do.

His family _knew_ though because out of the corner of his eye during quick glances backwards, he could see how they were staring at him- Pops especially. They wanted him to be happy, and while he could be marrying someone worse, he couldn't say that he was happy right now.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Marco felt his muscles seize up. Had they really reached this point already? He hadn't even gotten the chance to say no- not that he could've now- yet he felt his body acting on his own, lifting Robin's veil.

"Are you sure you're fine?" she whispered.

"I have to be, yoi." So he leaned in and…

A sudden and loud bang rang out through the air, and they jumped apart. Several of the crowd members screamed, and a wave of panic rushed through them.

"What the hell?"

"We're not safe here!"

Marco looked around frantically. What was that? And why _now_?

Councilman Sakazuki stood up, yelling out. "Quiet!" A hush settled over the crowd at the demand. "Just get on with the wedding!" Marco looked to the rest of the council to see what they would do, but as usual, they said nothing.

He stood up straight. "You expect me to continue this wedding when my people and my guests are in danger?"

"The ceremony is almost complete. It is ridiculous not to finish now!"

"And if someone dies?" he challenged. Marco knew it was a poor argument, but he refused to put anyone in danger for a _wedding_. The council had been the ones to push it forwards anyways, so they had time to wait. Besides, this would give him another chance to think things over.

"If you finish this _now_ , then we won't have a problem!" Sakazuki snarled.

"Councilman Sakazuki!" Marco's next argument fell short when Whitebeard attempted to stand, but he swayed on his feet. Jozu and Vista had to help him stand as he hacked out loud coughs. "Now that we know there are assassins in the area, we must bring the people to safety. They are more than likely after my son and the princess, which further puts this union at risk. You must stop pursuing this issue!"

Even when sick and dying, Pops was so strong, yet Marco couldn't bring himself to words like that. Maybe he was being selfish right now since his thoughts were also on Ace.

"You're brave, old man," Sakazuki mocked. "It could be you that dies today."

"Is that supposed to be a threat?"

The atmosphere grew tense as the two men stared each other down, even though everyone knew that for each second that passed, danger grew closer.

True to those words, a scream broke out from the crowd. "There's someone up there!" someone cried.

Gazes turned upward, and Marco gasped. He couldn't completely make out the details, but his heart pulsed when he finally recognized the familiar presence, and that mop of raven hair. But why was he standing at the edge like that?

"Ace…" Marco whispered. "What the hell is going on?"

"Is that him?" Robin asked. "Ace?"

Marco gulped, attention still fixed on the figure on the tower. It seemed to _sway_ and his heart skipped a beat. "Y-yeah." He couldn't stop his voice from shaking.

Robin laid a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, and the touch of his friend reassured him. "Go to him now," she said.

Marco knew he had no time to waste, but part of him hesitated. Was _Ace_ the one that fired that shot? Why would he jump if that was the case, and what would Marco say when he got up there?

"Don't you dare, Your Highness."

Of course Sakazuki had to interrupt his decision now. He was seething when Marco turned around. "If you leave now, you will ruin the relations between these two kingdoms!"

"Don't listen to him, Marco!" Haruta yelled.

"Go! Protect Ace!" Thatch agreed.

More of his brothers yelled out encouraging words, and Marco's heart felt light, especially when Pops smiled at him. "Be happy, my son."

Flames started to sprout from his arms and back, and he and Robin shot each other one last smile. He would've screamed and panicked, but the support of his family had calmed him. He was fast, and he could save Ace.

He could _fly_.

"ACE!"

"MARCO!"

Wings sprouted from his back, and as fire washed over his body, he transformed completely into his phoenix form. Pushing off the ground, he flew up high, then proceeded to dive back down. Building up maximum speed, he flew closer to Ace's falling form, and what he saw, surprised him.

Ace was smiling.

Marco's body was still moving automatically, so he dived lower and under Ace, spreading out his wings to catch him. If he were in his human form, he would've sighed in relief when he felt the weight of Ace's body hit his back as Ace breathed, "Thank goodness."

He was really speaking for the both of them then.

Marco descended as carefully as possible, so Ace wouldn't fall off. Thankfully, Robin was there to help him down when they landed, though Marco ignored her comment about how cute they were together. He transformed back as fast as possible so he could take Ace into his arms, frowning when he realized that Ace's arms had been restrained behind his back.

"What were you thinking?" Marco whispered, pressing a kiss to Ace's hair. He didn't care that he hadn't told Ace about his feelings yet. He just _needed_ to express his feelings in that moment.

"I knew you would catch me," Ace answered, pressing into Marco's warmth.

"But I never-"

"Yeah, I know you haven't shown me your magic yet," Ace continued before Marco could say anything else, "but I remember from after I was stabbed that you told me something. You told me that you _flew._ "

"Now, how could you possibly have remembered that?" Marco questioned.

"I had to think in the moment." Marco almost laughed at how casual Ace sounded.

And then the words spilled out before he could stop them. "I love you, yoi."

When Ace pulled back, Marco felt his stomach sink. He should've know that- even after all that- Ace would reject him, but to his surprise, Ace didn't look angry or disgusted. Instead, he was staring up at him with wide eyes…

The moment just felt so right. "Can I kiss you?" Ace had beat him to the punch on that question.

As his answer, Marco leaned in, loving the feeling of how warmth danced across his lips before their lips connected, and-

"Stop this at once."

Marco could see that Sakazuki's magic was bubbling to the surface as he approached. He tightened his grip around Ace protectively. "I won't allow you to harm him. You've pushed around this family quite enough!"

"You're a fool," Sakazuki growled. "He's the assassin!"

At those words, Marco's grip loosened and he took a step back, so he could take a look at Ace "Is this true?"

Ace looked down, and for a second, he felt as if Ace had struck him through the heart. "I didn't fire that shot, Marco. But… didn't you read the letter I wrote to you?"

"Letter? What-" He cut himself off. That must've been what Izo needed to give him earlier.

"I d-didn't think that I'd have to say any of this face-to-face after writing that, but he's right. I was _supposed_ to assassinate you. They had my brothers!"

"Guards!" Despite Sakazuki's call, Ace continued, words speeding up desperately.

"But I really _was_ there to train with you! I never faked _any_ of it!" he cried out. "And _couldn't_ kill you Marco, because I-"

"Are you _really_ going to believe someone like him? He's a traitor to the crown!" Sakazuki yelled, pointing at Ace accusingly.

Marco knew that deep in his heart Ace was telling the truth, and maybe he really was making a bad decision, but Sakazuki's anger… something just wasn't right.

"I believe Ace," Marco declared, words strong, unshaken. "What he has done is in the past, and who he is now is a whole other matter. In fact," he paused, turning to smile at Ace, "I'm putting an end to this wedding. I would like to be with him."

* * *

 **Ace**

When Marco said those words, Ace couldn't keep his jaw from dropping. Had Marco really called off this entire wedding _just for him?_ Sakazuki didn't look too pleased about it though.

To be honest, Ace had a sneaking suspicion that he had really died when he had fell off the tower, but there was no way things would feel this _real_ if that was the case. Right now, things were perfect.

Well, If Sakazuki hadn't been glaring at them it would've been, but no. That wasn't right. He wasn't glaring anymore. He was _smirking._

"I know I have to marry into royalty and produce an heir, but I don't care about that!"" Marco continued, seemingly unaware of what had now changed. Ace saw that his gaze was fixated on him. No wonder.

"Marco-"

"I'm sure we can find a solution, and there are alternatives to this union, right, Robin?"

"Yes," she agreed. "I don't see the harm in just being strong allies."

"Fine." Sakazuki had become oddly calm, and Ace _did not_ have a good feeling about it. "You won't have to worry about marrying into royalty if you pick this _scum_ though."

It was then that the reason why Sakazuki was smirking hit him. He _knew_. "No, don't!" Ace screamed. If Marco knew- if _all_ these people knew- they would hate him, kill him.

"Marry the prince of Raftel if you must!"

The crowd began to hiss and whisper, but Ace wasn't paying attention to them. He had become enclosed into his own bubble, cold, _scared_. That was the _one thing_ he had avoided his entire life. It had never mattered before, and now? It was about to ruin his life.

Calling him a prince was just mockery. Raftel had fallen eighteen years ago, the land having been split up to the surrounding kingdoms. It had only been obvious that they would lose the war they had been in. Everyone hated the king after all.

Ace didn't remember the war- he had still been a baby when it happened after all, but he vaguely remembered the stress his mother went through trying to protect him when they fled, fire razing the kingdom around them. Her voice had been broken as she sang him lullabies, and she had finally been put to rest when she found a safe place to leave Ace where he could grow up without any burden of the old kingdom. Ace wondered what she would be thinking now if she were still here.

Because people still hated the king, and now, they would hate Ace.

He didn't want to think about what would happen now. It was always known that relations between New Edwards and Raftel had been shaky. There was no way that he would be allowed to stay here now that they knew who he really was.

"You see! This man is a parasite! He must die!" was

Maybe those words were right.

"You're the fool here, Sakazuki," a loud voice boomed out. Ace's head whipped up to look at Whitebeard, who had spoken. "I- and I hope none of my sons and daughters- don't care about that. I have already accepted Ace as one of my sons."

"I _know_ Ace, yoi! So none of that matters!"

"That may be what you think, but the world would be better off without him!"

Ace suddenly felt everything grow hot around him, and he gasped as he turned to his attacker. Sakazuki's fist was glowing with red, hot magma- his magic no doubt. There was no way that Ace could survive this with his magic sealed like this.

"Gods, Ace! Move!" he heard Marco cry out, but with the way he was kneeling, arms still restrained behind his back, his fate was sealed. And so he closed his eyes…

But the attack never hit.

"Get away from my brother!"

Ace's eyes flew open. He knew that voice, and of course he recognized that ridiculous coat and top hat.

"Sabo!"

His brother, who was blocking Sakazuki's attack with shiny, black hand- was this Counter Magic?- turned his head back to grin at him. "What have you gotten yourself into, Ace?"

"Ace!" a joyful voice yelled, and suddenly, Luffy- there was no doubt that it was Luffy- tackled him, resulting in an even more uncomfortable heap on the ground.

"Hey, Lu," he chuckled.

"Wait," Marco interrupted. " _These_ were the brothers you were telling me about?"

"Yes…?" Ace said hesitantly. "Wait. What are you guys even doing here?"

"Well, first of all, you _know_ Luffy makes all sorts of friends, but I'm one of Robin's retainers," Sabo answered, as he shoved Sakazuki back "We can talk about this later though."

Sabo's friendly persona from seeing Ace had vanished. "How _dare_ you talk about my brother that way."

"Brother?" Sakazuki snorted. "Don't make me laugh. All of you are god damn traitors to this country. This throne no longer belongs to this family! The council, the _people_ will see to it!"

"If anyone's the traitor, it's you!" someone from the crowd cried out. It was that pink-haired servant that Ace had spoken to.

"Oh! Is that Coby? Hi!"

Luffy was really good at ruining the moment.

"The king is _dying_ because of him!" Coby yelled.

Sakazuki growled. "Boy…"

"He's been _poisoning_ Whitebeard! Th-that's why he's been so sick recently!" he continued babbling, despite Sakazuki's lividness. "And I've _heard_ him making plans to assassinate you. He's the traitor!"

"Shut your mouth!"

"I always knew you had it out for me, yoi,"

Everything just _clicked_ into place in Ace's mind. No wonder the man had felt so familiar. No wonder he also knew about Ace's lineage. "You're him!" Ace exclaimed. " _You're_ Cerberus!"

Who knew that all this time, the real enemy was right there in the castle with him? Teach wasn't the only inside agent they had, but the leader himself was there to keep tabs on him as well.

"The assassin that went after us was from there, right?"

"Yeah…" Ace said, but he trailed off when he noticed that Sakazuki was strangely silent.

His magma appeared again and Ace scrambled back.

"Do you think this changes anything?" Sakazuki readied his fist, but no one knew his target. It could've been anyone at this point. "I can still destroy you all!"

Yet suddenly, clicks of pistols sounded, weapons were pulled out, and magic activated; despite the event and the fancy clothing, Marco's family as well as Luffy and Robin's friends were all ready to fight, to prevent this _monster_ from doing any more harm.

"Sakazuki," Whitebeard said, voice ringing out clear. "I will give you a chance. _Leave._ You are outnumbered."

For a moment, everything grew still and all Ace could do was take in the scene in front of him. The crowd looked a bit rowdy, but that's not what he was paying attention to. Marco's beautiful blue flames were flickering along his shoulders, Sabo's pipe was held out in front of him, even Luffy and Robin had dropped down into defensive stances. Jozu had already transformed his arm into diamond, Haruta, Thatch, and Vista were pointing their weapons forward, and how did Whitebeard even bring that bisento?

" _Leave._ " he repeated.

Ace wasn't sure how much time had passed as everyone surrounded Sakazuki, staring him down, but soon, the magma along Sakazuki's arm vanished slowly. "This isn't over, you old fool. This means _war._ "

It was as if the world was holding in its breath as Sakazuki began to walk off. The crowd parted rapidly, no one wanting to aggravate him now. It seemed as if hours had passed before someone finally said something again.

Councilwoman Tsuru stood from her seat. "I hate to be a killjoy," she started, "but what now?"

At first, it seemed that no one had any answers, but Marco somehow took charge. "Coby."

"Yes?" Coby squeaked.

"Did Sakazuki ever say what poison he was using?"

"H-he had some in his house."

"I see. Chopper," he called. A small reindeer like thing jumped up. Ace recognized him from when he met up with Luffy earlier. "Can you go with Coby so you can develop a cure?"

"On it!"

"Robin?" Marco turned to her, and she nodded, though Ace was only left to wonder what that meant.

"People of New Edwards, honored guests!" Marco yelled out, voice echoing over the crowd. "I know today has turned out much different than you expected, but I promise that this day will not go to waste!"

"The kingdoms of Ohara and New Edwards have not become a union through marriage as planned, but I assure you that this will not damage the relations between our countries."

"Today still marks a celebration!" Marco continued. He held out his hands towards his father. "I think I speak for us all now. Long live the king!"

"Long live the king!"

* * *

 **Marco**

Things had gone relatively smoothly after the failed ceremony. Well, except when Ace and Izo also informed him that Teach had been a traitor as well. The news had been striking to say the least, but right now, joy was the most overwhelming feeling in Marco's heart.

It was strange celebrating after such a dire event and knowing that war with a group of assassins was looming on the horizon, but the kingdom as a whole _did_ have reason to celebrate. Pops wasn't going to die thanks to Sakazuki's carelessness and Chopper's medical prowess. Marco had to thank him later, and Robin too for having such great friends.

The feast hadn't gone to waste. Later that day after everything had calmed down, they had moved into the ballroom. Drinks flowed freely and music echoed throughout the room. Marco had made sure the common people had been invited too- there was enough food for everyone after all- though some of the haughtier nobles kept off to the side.

Afternoon had turned into night in a whirlwind of chatter and celebration. Marco hadn't realized how much time had passed until he looked up from his card game when Robin offered him a hand.

"Dance with me?" she asked, a smile playing on her lips. "As friends of course."

"I don't see why not." Though Robin was his friend, he still had no problem dancing with her. Besides, it gave them the opportunity to talk- something they had lost earlier.

"You made the right choice," she said, curtsying formally. "Who knows what could have happened if you didn't listen to us?"

"We would've been married, first of all," Marco answered. "And Ace would be…" His voice quieted, but they both knew. Ace would have hit the ground, and no one would have been happy in this day.

"Would you have broken our promise?" Robin's sudden question almost made him stumble over his steps. Marco liked to say that he was a man of his word, but under the circumstances, it would've been hard.

"I don't know," he said, and that was the truth. Now that everything had passed, it was hard to say. "I didn't think Ace would actually _want_ to be with me, yoi."

"And why would you think that?" Robin frowned.

Marco didn't have a response for her that time.

"That's what I thought," she said, smirking at him. She released his "You should go talk to him then." Robin left him with those words, rejoining her friends and taking the hand of a certain redhead in particular.

"I was wondering when _you too_ would follow up," Marco whispered to himself.

He was approached by Whitebeard, whose cheeks were just a bit rosy, after that. Of course he would take this opportunity to drink- not that Agatha as happy about it- now that he knew he wasn't going to die.

"I'm proud of you, my son. You showed the mark of a true leader today- not that you haven't before, of course," he praised.

"Thank you, Pops," Marco said. Praise from his father had always been uplifting, and now was no exception.

"I'm proud of you. You'll be a great king someday."

"Someday?"

"Someday, but not today," Whitebeard confirmed, laying a warm hand down on Marco's shoulder. "I'm not done just yet, Marco."

It was hard not to choke out his words over his joy. He didn't have to become king now, and he would have years to prepare and be ready. "I know, yoi."

Sometime later, Marco decided to finally seek out Ace, his heart racing. And so he approached Ace's brothers, but to his surprise, Ace was not with them.

Sabo shrugged. "You just missed him."

"Ace went over there!" Luffy yelled through a moth of food, pointing towards the balcony.

Marco had to shield himself from the spray, but he nodded in acknowledgement nonetheless. "Er- Thanks."

He approached the balcony, and true to Luffy's word, Ace was leaning over the railing of the balcony. Just as Marco was about to walk up to him, he was stopped one final time.

"I used to work in Raftel, you know." Agatha said, leaning against the wall. "You better take good care of him."

"I won't ever hurt him, yoi."

"I'll hold you to that then."

Now, they could finally, _finally_ be alone.

Even though they were not atop the tower, the stars looked as beautiful as ever, but Marco wasn't sure what he wanted to stare at more- since both the shooting stars painting trails of light across the sky were equally as beautiful as Ace's awestruck, shining eyes as he gasped in wonder at the sight above them. He ultimately chose to stare at the one he loved the most.

His staring soon caught Ace's attention, and he turned to Marco beaming with a wide smile- a sight even more breathtaking than the stars tonight- as he asked, "What did you wish for, Marco?" with excitement clear in every syllable.

And Marco couldn't resist any longer- obeying his urge to pull Ace close take in the wonderful warmth the other provided, he brought his lips up to Ace's ear, and kissed it gently with a whisper of " _I wish for you."_

It worried him though when Ace tensed up in his grasp, and his heart sunk for a moment when Ace pulled away. "Is something wrong?"

The way Ace looked down and bit at his bottom lip made Marco want to take all that doubt, that apprehension away. "Are you sure?" Ace asked, voice quiet. "I… I was the prince of a rival kingdom once upon a time. Everyone knows now too, and they probably don't want their prince to be with someone they all hate."

"They don't hate you," Marco said.

"How do you know that? I shouldn't even-"

Marco lunged forward, cutting him off by capturing his Ace's lips with his own. Neither of them realized until later that it was their first real kiss.

"It shouldn't matter what they think, yoi. They're strangers,and we've already accepted you here, " Marco breathed as he embraced him once more. "Just know that I love you."

A chuckle bubbled up in him as Ace gasped out, and he pulled back a bit to get a good look at Ace. Starlight was reflecting in his beautiful eyes, and his freckles looked more adorable than ever. His lips closed and opened ever so slightly as he breathed, "I love you too, Marco."

An impossibly wide smile broke out onto Marco's face, and he felt better than he did when he was flying. So it was true then. Ace really did love him back, and they could be together. Now, it didn't matter what some stupid council thought. For once, Marco's feelings actually mattered.

The beginning notes of a waltz drifted outside, and Marco stepped back, holding out a hand for Ace to take. "May I have this dance?"

"I thought you would never ask."

* * *

Later that night, Ace ended up in Marco's room once again. Apparently, they hadn't been too discreet about what they were about to do since they were nonstop teased about it. It was totally worth it, Ace would say later, naked and panting as he snuggled up to Marco.

"So what now?" Ace asked, voice quiet.

"Well," Marco started. "I don't have to be king anymore. Not yet anyways, but we still have a fight to prepare for."

"You're right, I guess," Ace sighed.

"What?" Marco kissed his forehead.

"I just thought that we might have some time to relax, or travel," Ace answered, sounding disappointed. "There's so much to see, and I want to see it with you."

"Well, after we will," Marco reassured, wrapping his arms around Ace tighter. "I would go anywhere with you, you know."

It would be years later after things had finally calmed down when they would follow through on that promise. It would be when one of their servants went to wake them to prepare for their impending wedding, only to find the bed empty. It would be met with much panic from their brothers and the rest of the castle (with the exception of Pops, whose laugh could be heard all throughout the grounds).

"You ready to go?" Ace asked, squeezing Marco's hand.

Marco smiled at him from under his hood. "Yeah. It's just weird leaving, yoi."

" _That_ is called freedom, Marco," Ace laughed as he started down the path. "And don't worry your pineapple head. We'll be back soon!"

"Hm," Marco hummed, suddenly lunging forward to seize Ace, who squealed, around the middle to lift him. "I thought you agreed to stop calling me that."

"Hey! It's just how I show that I love you," Ace argued lightheartedly. "You won't deny me that right?"

"Don't pout at me like that, Ace," Marco said, running a thumb over his cheek. "You know I can't say no to you that way."

"Wh-I don't pout!"

Marco didn't try to argue back. Instead, he pulled Ace into a warm kiss, their lips sliding against each other perfectly, as always. It seemed like an eternity until they broke apart, starting on their journey hand-in-hand.

Marco and Ace didn't leave without a word though. They had left a note for everyone. And at the end of the note, this was written:

 _So we can run together_

 _When we'll be back, who knows?_

 _But we'll be catching starlight in the palms of our hands._

 _We'll be catching starlight in the palms of our hands._

* * *

 **A/N: So, that's the end of it! I really hoped that you all enjoyed and I'd love to hear what you all think, so please remember to leave a review! And make sure to read other OP Big Bang fics!**


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